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| After Rough Debate, Bloomberg Repeats Attack on Sanders | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| SALT LAKE CITY — After a poor performance in a ferocious Democratic debate, former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg faced voters and the news media at a Thursday morning event in Utah as his campaign reckoned with the fallout from the televised verbal combat, which undercut all four moderate Democrats onstage at times and left Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren looking strengthened. | SALT LAKE CITY — After a poor performance in a ferocious Democratic debate, former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg faced voters and the news media at a Thursday morning event in Utah as his campaign reckoned with the fallout from the televised verbal combat, which undercut all four moderate Democrats onstage at times and left Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren looking strengthened. |
| Mr. Bloomberg, attempting to move on quickly from the debate, used the Utah event to intensify his attacks on Mr. Sanders, the current polling leader in the field. He argued that nominating Mr. Sanders, a self-identified democratic socialist who has intensely passionate support in the party’s left wing, would lead to defeat against President Trump in November. | Mr. Bloomberg, attempting to move on quickly from the debate, used the Utah event to intensify his attacks on Mr. Sanders, the current polling leader in the field. He argued that nominating Mr. Sanders, a self-identified democratic socialist who has intensely passionate support in the party’s left wing, would lead to defeat against President Trump in November. |
| “If we choose a candidate who appeals to a small base — like Senator Sanders — it will be a fatal error,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “We need Democrats and independents and Republicans to win.” Referring to the suburban moderate voters who helped Democrats win back the House in 2018, he added, “That was the coalition that propelled Democrats to success in the midterms — and it’s the coalition that we need to win in November.” | “If we choose a candidate who appeals to a small base — like Senator Sanders — it will be a fatal error,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “We need Democrats and independents and Republicans to win.” Referring to the suburban moderate voters who helped Democrats win back the House in 2018, he added, “That was the coalition that propelled Democrats to success in the midterms — and it’s the coalition that we need to win in November.” |
| But behind the scenes on Thursday, Bloomberg campaign officials were attempting to assess how the debate would affect Mr. Bloomberg’s standing with voters just as he was beginning to break through on a national level. His inability to respond effectively to attacks over his wealth and his record on gender, race, stop-and-frisk policing tactics and other issues as a mayor and businessman in New York risked seriously harming his message that he would be the most competent and capable opponent in a general election against Mr. Trump. | But behind the scenes on Thursday, Bloomberg campaign officials were attempting to assess how the debate would affect Mr. Bloomberg’s standing with voters just as he was beginning to break through on a national level. His inability to respond effectively to attacks over his wealth and his record on gender, race, stop-and-frisk policing tactics and other issues as a mayor and businessman in New York risked seriously harming his message that he would be the most competent and capable opponent in a general election against Mr. Trump. |
| Campaign officials acknowledged that Mr. Bloomberg, who is typically not one to shy away from conflict, held back when confronted. His campaign manager, Kevin Sheekey, alluded to the candidate’s atypical restraint in a statement, saying, “He was just warming up.” | Campaign officials acknowledged that Mr. Bloomberg, who is typically not one to shy away from conflict, held back when confronted. His campaign manager, Kevin Sheekey, alluded to the candidate’s atypical restraint in a statement, saying, “He was just warming up.” |
| Mr. Sheekey argued that the pile-on should be taken as a sign of how Mr. Bloomberg poses a real threat to Mr. Trump — and remains so despite his shakiness onstage. | Mr. Sheekey argued that the pile-on should be taken as a sign of how Mr. Bloomberg poses a real threat to Mr. Trump — and remains so despite his shakiness onstage. |
| “Everyone came to destroy Mike,” Mr. Sheekey said. “It didn’t happen. Everyone wanted him to lose his cool. He didn’t do it. He was the grown-up in the room.” | “Everyone came to destroy Mike,” Mr. Sheekey said. “It didn’t happen. Everyone wanted him to lose his cool. He didn’t do it. He was the grown-up in the room.” |
| Mr. Bloomberg and his rivals drew a huge audience, and many voters were probably getting their first taste of the former mayor beyond his record-setting advertising onslaught. The debate averaged nearly 20 million viewers on NBC and MSNBC, the biggest live television audience ever for a Democratic debate, and millions more watched online, the networks said. | Mr. Bloomberg and his rivals drew a huge audience, and many voters were probably getting their first taste of the former mayor beyond his record-setting advertising onslaught. The debate averaged nearly 20 million viewers on NBC and MSNBC, the biggest live television audience ever for a Democratic debate, and millions more watched online, the networks said. |
| David Axelrod, the architect of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, said Mr. Bloomberg’s debate debut was “kind of a disaster, and predictably so.” | David Axelrod, the architect of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, said Mr. Bloomberg’s debate debut was “kind of a disaster, and predictably so.” |
| But he said Mr. Bloomberg’s voracious budget for television advertising — the former mayor has spent hundreds of millions of dollars so far — could paper over some of the deficiencies exposed on the debate stage. “One of the reasons he’s making gains is he’s reaching a lot of people that way,” Mr. Axelrod said. | But he said Mr. Bloomberg’s voracious budget for television advertising — the former mayor has spent hundreds of millions of dollars so far — could paper over some of the deficiencies exposed on the debate stage. “One of the reasons he’s making gains is he’s reaching a lot of people that way,” Mr. Axelrod said. |
| Mr. Bloomberg’s team sought to capitalize on an effective debate moment for him, posting a video on his Twitter account Thursday morning that showed him emphasizing his business experience. But the video was deceptively edited to make it seem as if his statement had left the other candidates speechless for about 20 seconds. | Mr. Bloomberg’s team sought to capitalize on an effective debate moment for him, posting a video on his Twitter account Thursday morning that showed him emphasizing his business experience. But the video was deceptively edited to make it seem as if his statement had left the other candidates speechless for about 20 seconds. |
| “I’m the only one here, I think, that’s ever started a business, is that fair?” Mr. Bloomberg asks in the clip. The video then cuts to shots of the other candidates, set against the sound of crickets chirping. The shots are spliced together to make it appear as though the candidates could not respond to the question — when, in reality, Mr. Bloomberg moved on after pausing for about a second. | “I’m the only one here, I think, that’s ever started a business, is that fair?” Mr. Bloomberg asks in the clip. The video then cuts to shots of the other candidates, set against the sound of crickets chirping. The shots are spliced together to make it appear as though the candidates could not respond to the question — when, in reality, Mr. Bloomberg moved on after pausing for about a second. |
| The video was viewed nearly two million times within hours of being posted. Earlier this month, Twitter said it would begin labeling or removing such manipulated videos on its platform, though the company said the rules would not go into effect until March. | |
| For Ms. Warren, who led the assault on Mr. Bloomberg as she sought to preview the strengths she would bring to a fall debate against Mr. Trump, the night resulted in her single best day of fund-raising by far as she raked in $2.8 million, according to her campaign. But it was not clear if her debate performance would help her significantly in the Nevada caucuses on Saturday: Roughly 75,000 Nevadans had already voted before the debate took place, a huge number compared with 2016, when about 84,000 Nevada Democrats took part in the caucuses. | For Ms. Warren, who led the assault on Mr. Bloomberg as she sought to preview the strengths she would bring to a fall debate against Mr. Trump, the night resulted in her single best day of fund-raising by far as she raked in $2.8 million, according to her campaign. But it was not clear if her debate performance would help her significantly in the Nevada caucuses on Saturday: Roughly 75,000 Nevadans had already voted before the debate took place, a huge number compared with 2016, when about 84,000 Nevada Democrats took part in the caucuses. |
| On Thursday, she kept up her attacks on Mr. Bloomberg. In an interview on ABC’s “The View,” Ms. Warren said she found Mr. Bloomberg’s apology over stop-and-frisk policing “just wholly wrong.” The timing of the mea culpa — shortly before he entered the presidential race last year — “reveals his character” and “his understanding of race in America,” she said. | On Thursday, she kept up her attacks on Mr. Bloomberg. In an interview on ABC’s “The View,” Ms. Warren said she found Mr. Bloomberg’s apology over stop-and-frisk policing “just wholly wrong.” The timing of the mea culpa — shortly before he entered the presidential race last year — “reveals his character” and “his understanding of race in America,” she said. |
| “It is clear that what Mayor Bloomberg has learned so far is that he can hire enough ads, have enough money that he can insulate himself from any recognition of what his actions did to other human beings,” she said. | “It is clear that what Mayor Bloomberg has learned so far is that he can hire enough ads, have enough money that he can insulate himself from any recognition of what his actions did to other human beings,” she said. |
| Adrianne Shropshire, the executive director of BlackPAC, a super PAC focused on black Democrats, said Ms. Warren’s debate performance would resonate best among African-American voters who make up the majority of the Democratic electorate in South Carolina, which holds the next primary after Nevada on Feb. 29. | Adrianne Shropshire, the executive director of BlackPAC, a super PAC focused on black Democrats, said Ms. Warren’s debate performance would resonate best among African-American voters who make up the majority of the Democratic electorate in South Carolina, which holds the next primary after Nevada on Feb. 29. |
| “Warren did herself a real favor last night in terms of appealing to those voters and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her numbers tick up before South Carolina next week,” Ms. Shropshire said. | “Warren did herself a real favor last night in terms of appealing to those voters and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her numbers tick up before South Carolina next week,” Ms. Shropshire said. |
| But she cautioned that Mr. Bloomberg, even after an underwhelming debate performance, was still likely to retain the support of some black voters whose leading priority is defeating Mr. Trump. | But she cautioned that Mr. Bloomberg, even after an underwhelming debate performance, was still likely to retain the support of some black voters whose leading priority is defeating Mr. Trump. |
| If Ms. Warren was the dominant figure in the debate, Mr. Sanders was perhaps the luckiest: The front-runner in Nevada and national polls, he emerged largely unscathed from the debate as his moderate rivals focused on ripping into Mr. Bloomberg and one another. After Mr. Sanders’s victory in the New Hampshire primary and his tie in the Iowa caucuses, he is the best positioned in the field to keep building momentum heading into the Nevada caucuses, the South Carolina primary and the Super Tuesday contests in 16 states and territories three days later on March 3. | If Ms. Warren was the dominant figure in the debate, Mr. Sanders was perhaps the luckiest: The front-runner in Nevada and national polls, he emerged largely unscathed from the debate as his moderate rivals focused on ripping into Mr. Bloomberg and one another. After Mr. Sanders’s victory in the New Hampshire primary and his tie in the Iowa caucuses, he is the best positioned in the field to keep building momentum heading into the Nevada caucuses, the South Carolina primary and the Super Tuesday contests in 16 states and territories three days later on March 3. |
| Mr. Axelrod said the four-way battle among Mr. Bloomberg, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Senator Amy Klobuchar to be the party’s alternative to Mr. Sanders would only help the front-runner in the short term. | Mr. Axelrod said the four-way battle among Mr. Bloomberg, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Senator Amy Klobuchar to be the party’s alternative to Mr. Sanders would only help the front-runner in the short term. |
| “There is a muddle in the middle and that is of great value to Bernie Sanders,” he said. “The only thing that could be worrisome to Bernie is if Warren is resurgent. The brutal beating she put on Bloomberg was very much in service of reinvigorating her progressive base.” | “There is a muddle in the middle and that is of great value to Bernie Sanders,” he said. “The only thing that could be worrisome to Bernie is if Warren is resurgent. The brutal beating she put on Bloomberg was very much in service of reinvigorating her progressive base.” |
| Advisers to Mr. Buttigieg said after the debate that they believed he accomplished his primary objective of painting Mr. Bloomberg and Mr. Sanders as extremists within the Democratic Party while establishing himself as the candidate best capable of building a coalition to defeat Mr. Trump. | Advisers to Mr. Buttigieg said after the debate that they believed he accomplished his primary objective of painting Mr. Bloomberg and Mr. Sanders as extremists within the Democratic Party while establishing himself as the candidate best capable of building a coalition to defeat Mr. Trump. |
| To that end, they said, his other objective was to disqualify Ms. Klobuchar as a centrist contender. Mr. Buttigieg repeatedly attacked Ms. Klobuchar, who was the surprise third-place finisher in the New Hampshire primary, in hopes of hobbling her in Nevada and beyond and cutting into her base of support. | To that end, they said, his other objective was to disqualify Ms. Klobuchar as a centrist contender. Mr. Buttigieg repeatedly attacked Ms. Klobuchar, who was the surprise third-place finisher in the New Hampshire primary, in hopes of hobbling her in Nevada and beyond and cutting into her base of support. |
| Mr. Biden, whom Mr. Buttigieg attacked relentlessly in Iowa, is no longer seen as a serious threat. | Mr. Biden, whom Mr. Buttigieg attacked relentlessly in Iowa, is no longer seen as a serious threat. |
| “The reason Pete has been so frustrating for people to understand is because he’s bringing new people into the system that weren’t there last time,” said Jon Soltz, the co-founder of VoteVets, whose super PAC is backing Mr. Buttigieg. “Pete’s obituary has been written a lot and nobody’s been right. There he is going toe to toe in a debate last night as the candidate with the most delegates for the presidency.” | “The reason Pete has been so frustrating for people to understand is because he’s bringing new people into the system that weren’t there last time,” said Jon Soltz, the co-founder of VoteVets, whose super PAC is backing Mr. Buttigieg. “Pete’s obituary has been written a lot and nobody’s been right. There he is going toe to toe in a debate last night as the candidate with the most delegates for the presidency.” |
| The onslaught of criticism against Mr. Bloomberg tested one of his campaign’s central assumptions: that he should avoid attacking his rivals in the interest of staying above the fray that has consumed the race for the Democratic nomination. Mr. Bloomberg has run, in essence, a parallel campaign from the other candidates over the last two and a half months, skipping Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina to focus instead on the states that vote in the Super Tuesday contests. | The onslaught of criticism against Mr. Bloomberg tested one of his campaign’s central assumptions: that he should avoid attacking his rivals in the interest of staying above the fray that has consumed the race for the Democratic nomination. Mr. Bloomberg has run, in essence, a parallel campaign from the other candidates over the last two and a half months, skipping Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina to focus instead on the states that vote in the Super Tuesday contests. |
| But the fray came to him — in the form of attacks over his defense of policing practices that targeted minorities and accusations that he is using his vast fortune to “buy the election.” | But the fray came to him — in the form of attacks over his defense of policing practices that targeted minorities and accusations that he is using his vast fortune to “buy the election.” |
| If Wednesday night’s debate threw doubt on Mr. Bloomberg’s ability to make the case to voters that he is the strongest general election competitor to Mr. Trump, the campaign could take solace in the fact that their candidate would not appear on the ballot in any state for nearly two weeks. | If Wednesday night’s debate threw doubt on Mr. Bloomberg’s ability to make the case to voters that he is the strongest general election competitor to Mr. Trump, the campaign could take solace in the fact that their candidate would not appear on the ballot in any state for nearly two weeks. |
| And Mr. Bloomberg, in his Utah remarks, seemed to signal that he would use that time to target Mr. Sanders more aggressively. Referencing the Vermont senator, Mr. Bloomberg argued that voters “don’t want hand waving and finger pointing — they want common-sense ideas that can become real policy.” | And Mr. Bloomberg, in his Utah remarks, seemed to signal that he would use that time to target Mr. Sanders more aggressively. Referencing the Vermont senator, Mr. Bloomberg argued that voters “don’t want hand waving and finger pointing — they want common-sense ideas that can become real policy.” |
| After campaigning in Utah on Thursday, Mr. Bloomberg will continue on to other Super Tuesday states, where a combined 34 percent of all the delegates to the Democratic National Convention will be rewarded. | After campaigning in Utah on Thursday, Mr. Bloomberg will continue on to other Super Tuesday states, where a combined 34 percent of all the delegates to the Democratic National Convention will be rewarded. |
| The Democratic candidates had a relatively light day of campaigning scheduled on Thursday. Mr. Bloomberg’s one event was in Salt Lake City. Ms. Warren had an event in Las Vegas in the morning, and she and Mr. Biden were scheduled to appear in back-to-back televised town halls on CNN. Mr. Buttigieg spoke at a town hall event at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and was taping an episode of the “Ellen” show and appearing at a fund-raising event. | |
| Reid J. Epstein contributed reporting from Las Vegas, and Davey Alba and Matt Stevens from New York. |