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Loath as the candidates have been to talk about it, age is an inescapable subject in this Democratic primary: The three highest-polling candidates are all in their 70s, and one of them just had a heart attack. So it was perhaps not surprising that, about two hours into the debate on Tuesday, the moderators bluntly asked how Senator Bernie Sanders, 78, Joseph R. Biden Jr., 76, and Senator Elizabeth Warren, 70, could assure voters that they were up to the rigors of the presidency. (Astor, 10/15)

Biden promised to release his medical records before the Iowa caucuses next year and said he was running because the country needs an elder statesman in the White House after Trump. Warren, whose campaign has highlighted her hours-long sessions posing for selfies with supporters, promised to "out-organize and outlast" any other candidate — including Trump. Then she pivoted to her campaign argument that Democrats need to put forth big ideas rather than return to the past, a dig at Biden. (10/15)

At 76, with a penchant for wandering answers and cultural references that can seem cringe-inducingly dated, some say the vice president’s time has come and gone. Obviously, it’s impossible to turn back the clock. Instead, Biden sought to make his longevity an asset. “One of the reasons I’m running is because of my age and experience,” he said, citing his decades in public life and, especially, eight years as vice president. “I know what has to be done and I will not need any on-the-job training the day I take office.” (Barabak, 10/15)

Sen. Bernie Sanders, in his first major public appearance since suffering a heart attack this month, raised the issue as he tried to insert himself into a debate question about the opioid epidemic. “I’m healthy, I’m feeling great,” the Vermont Democrat said, leading moderator Erin Burnett to ask the 78-year-old how he would reassure the American people after his health scare. (Seema Mehta, 10/15)

The inevitable question Sanders received from moderators about his age was relatively brief and painless. Asked how he would reassure Democratic voters that he has the energy to be president after his heart attack, he urged them to come to his rally in New York City this weekend, which drew laughter from some in the crowd. “We are going to be mounting a vigorous campaign all over this country,” he said. “That is how I think I can reassure the American people.” (Otterbein, 10/15)

While the debate was still underway, news broke that Sanders had won the endorsement of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who last year became the youngest woman elected to Congress and is a leading voice in the progressive movement. (Madhani, 10/16)