The revolution died and was buried in California when Bernie Sanders lost there during the last presidential primary. Three-and-a-half years later, the “democratic socialist” has an edge in the state and a path to win the nomination, making Thursday night’s debate in downtown Los Angeles all the more important.

Sanders needed to stand out in the contest, the last before the New Year. He started by shouting, at one point, about being white.

Former President Obama recently said that the world would be a better place if there was more room for women at the top. Part of the problem, Obama continued, was “old people, usually old men, not getting out of the way.”  So, began moderator Tim Alberta of Politico, “Sen. Sanders, you’re the oldest candidate on stage this evening.” Unprompted, the Vermont senator interrupted to loudly say, “I'm white as well!”

The joke did not land. The moderator asked for a response to Obama’s assertion. Sanders then sidestepped the issue to talk about economic inequality.

“The issue is where power resides in America, and it's not white or black or male or female,” he said. “We are living in a nation increasingly becoming an oligarchy, where you have a handful of billionaires who spend hundreds of millions of dollars buying elections and politicians.”

It was an awkward exchange during a debate that could be pivotal to one of the seven candidates onstage. With its much earlier place than usual in the primary season – March 3 -- California is poised to play a kingmaker role in 2020; while Iowa goes first on Feb. 3, mail-in ballots go out the door the same day in the Golden State.

“If a candidate doesn’t do well in the early primary states but wins California, they get to April. Period. No questions,” veteran pollster Paul Mitchell told RealClearPolitics. At the same time, the inverse is also true. “If someone does well in Iowa and New Hampshire but doesn’t do well in California,” he continued, “other candidates could swamp them.”

None of that is lost on Sanders. His 2016 campaign was close on Hillary Clinton’s heels but met its demise in California. Resurrected in time for 2020, the revolution has transformed itself into a political machine. His operation has more paid staffers on the ground there than any other candidate. He has campaign offices throughout the state, from San Francisco down to Coachella. He has built what appears to be a Golden State juggernaut.

Sanders now finds himself essentially tied with former Vice President Joe Biden for the lead in California, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average. He made the most of the opportunity Thursday night. According to CNN’s analysis, Sanders talked longer than any other candidate: 20 minutes.

There were moments of dominance, as when Sanders knocked Biden’s and Pete Buttigieg’s heads together in a single soundbite. The former vice president has received contributions from 44 billionaires, he noted, while the young mayor from South Bend, Ind., has 39 such donors. Meanwhile, Sanders has none, and he suggested his two competitors start an unholy competition.

“Pete, we look forward to you,” he mocked. “I know you're an energetic guy and a competitive guy; see if you can take on Joe on that issue.”

There were other semi-awkward moments, such as when a moderator addressed the racial makeup of those still in the Democratic contest. Sanders was asked why the debate stage did not feature more diversity. He tried talking about climate change instead: “I will answer that question, but I wanted to get back to the issue of climate change for a moment, because I do believe this is the existential issue.”

“Senator, with all respect, this question is about race,” interrupted Amna Nawaz of PBS “NewsHour.” “Can you answer the question as it was asked?” The crowd erupted with applause, and the candidate had to rebound by combining both issues on the fly: “People of color are, in fact, going to be the people suffering most if we do not deal with climate change.”

If race was a blind spot for Sanders last time around, it could be a strength come 2020. According to a survey by the University of California, Berkley, 32% of Latinos in that state favor him, and his promise of “a path to citizenship” for undocumented immigrants has been well received.

Sanders regularly mixed it up with his fellow contenders Thursday night in a notable show of energy and exuberance from a candidate who suffered a heart attack just months ago. And late in the debate, he distilled the entire health care debate into a single exchange with Biden.

The former vice president was detailing his plan to build onto Obamacare when Sanders tried flagging down the moderators. “Put your hand down for a second, Bernie, OK?” an irritated Biden said.

 “Just waving to you, Joe,” Sanders replied. “Just saying hello.”

“Under Joe's plan, essentially, we retain the status quo,” he said when finally given a chance to speak.

“That's not true,” Biden protested.

“It is exactly true,” Sanders shot back.

An indignant Biden interrupted to go on the offensive and attack “Medicare for All.” The Sanders plan, he argued, would cost between $20 trillion and $40 trillion over just the next decade. Worst of all, Biden concluded, “it’s going to increase personal taxes.”

“That's right, we are going to increase personal taxes,” Sanders said, unfazed. “But we're eliminating premiums, we're eliminating co-payments, we're eliminating deductibles, we're eliminating all out-of-pocket expenses, and no family in America will spend more than $200 a year on prescription drugs.”

It was their only exchange on health care, and Sanders got the last word in an argument that, one senior DNC official told RCP, “crystalizes the chasm between progressives and moderates in our party.” It could prove pivotal to the fate of the senator and his renewed revolution.