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| Bernie Sanders set to face attacks in latest Democratic debate after Nevada win – live | Bernie Sanders set to face attacks in latest Democratic debate after Nevada win – live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Opponents will seek to slow Bernie Sanders’ momentum while billionaire Mike Bloomberg needs a strong showing at tenth debate | Opponents will seek to slow Bernie Sanders’ momentum while billionaire Mike Bloomberg needs a strong showing at tenth debate |
| In a new memo to donors, Pete Buttigieg’s campaign appears to be lowering expectations for Super Tuesday. | |
| If Sanders’ opponents cannot sufficiently slow his momentum between Saturday’s South Carolina primary and next week’s Super Tuesday contests, the Vermont senator could be unstoppable. | |
| After all, winning generally begets more winning in presidential primaries, and Sanders’ opponents need to start landing victories if they want to stop him from running away with the nomination. | |
| The 10th Democratic debate is about 10 minutes away, so here is how you can watch the candidates face off for the last time before the South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday. | |
| Tonight’s debate is hosted by CBS News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, so it can be watched on CBS stations and streamed on CBSN, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. | |
| The moderators of the debate are CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell and CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King, and three other CBS correspondents – Margaret Brennan, Major Garrett and Bill Whitaker – will join them in questioning the candidates. | |
| The debate is scheduled to run for two hours and will kick off shortly, so stay tuned. | |
| Tonight’s debate, at the Galliard Center in downtown Charleston, is taking place just a few dozen feet from the Mother Emanuel AME church. | |
| This historic building, built in the early nineteenth century, is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the southern United States and has long been a centre for resistance against white supremacy and racism in South Carolina. | |
| In 1822, its founder Denmark Vesey was a lead organizer in a planned slave revolt, and the church was a hub of activity during the civil rights era. | |
| It was also the site of the 2015 church massacre, when a white supremacist terrorist murdered nine black churchgoers in a mass shooting that shook the nation and led to the then Republican governor Nikki Haley to remove the confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina statehouse. | |
| As such, it’s likely the legacy of that horrific terror attack will be referenced at a number of policy junctures at tonight’s debate -- namely the candidates’ plans for gun control and what they hope to do to combat the rise in white nationalist terror in the US. | |
| A few candidates are going into tonight’s debate still bruised from last Wednesday’s clash in Las Vegas. | |
| Elizabeth Warren managed to land two of the night’s biggest blows on Mike Bloomberg, who was roundly attacked by everyone on stage. Her first attack came right at the start of the night, when she highlighted his previous remarks about women: | |
| Warren later rounded on Bloomberg once again, and called on him to release all the women who had signed NDAs with him: | |
| But these weren’t the only big clashes of the night. Biden also went after Bloomberg over his stop and frisk policy while mayor of New York. Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar repeatedly went up against each other. Warren went after everyone over their healthcare plans. Bernie Sanders suggested Bloomberg shouldn’t exist. And Bloomberg slammed Sanders for owning three homes while also being a socialist. | |
| In 2016, Bernie Sanders rolled into South Carolina with the wind at his back. He’d fought Hillary Clinton to a virtual tie in Iowa - no small feat for a little-known senator running a longshot presidential campaign. Then he trounced Clinton in New Hampshire, which neighbors Vermont. There was chaos at the Nevada caucuses, which Clinton won by a narrower-than expected margin. | |
| But then came South Carolina. Defeat was resounding. The margin –74% to 26% – was so wide that there would be no spinning the result. Sanders won only 14% of the black vote there, compared to Clinton’s 86%, according to exit polls. | |
| It was a KO from which Sanders never recovered. Even though the race dragged on for several more months, South Carolina was Clinton’s “firewall.” | |
| But Clinton lost to Trump and Sanders effectively never stopped running for president. And in the intervening years, he spent much more time in the south, investing in the community there and making efforts to strengthen his ties with the black community. | |
| He’s tweaked his famously consistent message to specifically address race and racial justice. Even in his landslide defeat, Sanders showed signs of strength with young black voters, and he has continued to cultivate his support with this constituency, organizing on historically black colleges around his plans for free-college tuition and a Green New Deal. | |
| All of these efforts will face their first real test in South Carolina, the first primary contest featuring a majority black electorate. | |
| Recent polling shows Sanders within striking distance of Joe Biden, who has portrayed the state as his “firewall”. | |
| Biden is still favored to win the Palmetto State , but if Sanders can breach his “firewall” it may be the beginning of his march to the nomination. | |
| The format of tonight’s debate is very similar to past debates, with candidates receiving time for responses to direct questions and rebuttals to opponents’ answers. | |
| Candidates will have one minute and 15 seconds to answer direct questions, and moderators will decide when to award candidates 45 seconds for rebuttals. | |
| CBS News has said candidates will not make opening or closing statements, but all the debate participants will get a closing question, which will likely be used as a sort of final pitch to voters. | |
| We are about 20 minutes away from the first question, so stay tuned. | |
| Bernie Sanders’ allies are pushing back against an Atlantic report that the Vermont senator considered a primary challenge against Barack Obama in 2012. | |
| According to the Atlantic, Sanders was seriously considering launching a White House bid against the Democratic president and had to be talked out of it by then-Senate majority leader Harry Reid. | |
| Sanders himself dismissed the story last night, saying it was “not true at all.” But Joe Biden’s campaign is already out with an ad highlighting the report: | |
| Patrick Leahy, a fellow Vermont senator who reportedly spoke with Sanders about his plans in the summer of 2011, said he did not “recall” discussing the subject: | |
| The 10th Democratic debate is just 30 minutes away. Here is a refresher on who will be on stage tonight: | |
| Bernie Sanders, the definitive frontrunner in the presidential primary who will likely be the top target for his opponents tonight after his landslide victory in Nevada last week. | |
| Joe Biden, the former vice president who is counting on a victory in South Carolina to reinvigorate his campaign after disappointing performances in Iowa and New Hampshire. | |
| Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire former New York mayor who suffered a disastrous debate performance last week and will need to improve tonight before Super Tuesday, on which his candidacy depends. | |
| Pete Buttigieg, the former Indiana mayor who performed well in Iowa and New Hampshire but needs to prove he can win in more racially diverse states. | |
| Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator who was widely praised for her debate performance last week but needs to start turning those plaudits into votes as soon as possible. | |
| Amy Klobuchar, the Minnesota senator who exceeded expectations in New Hampshire but finished in single digits in Nevada last week as she struggles to attract voters of color. | |
| Tom Steyer, the billionaire activist who is returning to the stage tonight after failing to qualify for the Nevada debate and has been climbing in the South Carolina polls. | |
| Those seven candidates will soon take the stage, so stay tuned. | |
| For weeks, billionaire Tom Steyer has been pouring campaign resources into South Carolina, hoping to rally conservative Democrats and African American voters away from former vice-president Joe Biden and toward him. | For weeks, billionaire Tom Steyer has been pouring campaign resources into South Carolina, hoping to rally conservative Democrats and African American voters away from former vice-president Joe Biden and toward him. |
| And now he has one more big opportunity to contrast himself not only with Senator Bernie Sanders, the new frontrunner in the 2020 Democratic primary, but also Biden. | And now he has one more big opportunity to contrast himself not only with Senator Bernie Sanders, the new frontrunner in the 2020 Democratic primary, but also Biden. |
| Steyer did not qualify for the last Democratic debate but Tuesday night he will rejoin his rivals on the stage in South Carolina. The stakes are high for him. He’s generally polled further behind his rivals in national polls, and his campaign struggled through the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. | Steyer did not qualify for the last Democratic debate but Tuesday night he will rejoin his rivals on the stage in South Carolina. The stakes are high for him. He’s generally polled further behind his rivals in national polls, and his campaign struggled through the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. |
| But recent polling has shown Steyer faring better in South Carolina. He’s averaging in third place going into Tuesday’s debate. | But recent polling has shown Steyer faring better in South Carolina. He’s averaging in third place going into Tuesday’s debate. |
| Steyer has been directing his recent attacks at both Sanders and Biden. One ad warns Sanders’ “socialist plans won’t beat Trump” and that nothing would change in a Biden administration. The ad then pivots to Steyer’s work helping “black and brown communities”. | Steyer has been directing his recent attacks at both Sanders and Biden. One ad warns Sanders’ “socialist plans won’t beat Trump” and that nothing would change in a Biden administration. The ad then pivots to Steyer’s work helping “black and brown communities”. |
| In essence, the ad is an encapsulation of how the former hedge fund manager has approached South Carolina: pick at Biden’s base while also contrasting himself with Sanders. He’s likely to go after both candidates during Tuesday’s debate. | In essence, the ad is an encapsulation of how the former hedge fund manager has approached South Carolina: pick at Biden’s base while also contrasting himself with Sanders. He’s likely to go after both candidates during Tuesday’s debate. |
| Steyer is hoping it will do more than place him behind two other candidates on election night. In an interview with NBC Nightly News set to air Tuesday night, Steyer said, “I don’t want to get third place in South Carolina. I want to win South Carolina.” | Steyer is hoping it will do more than place him behind two other candidates on election night. In an interview with NBC Nightly News set to air Tuesday night, Steyer said, “I don’t want to get third place in South Carolina. I want to win South Carolina.” |
| “I am pushing as hard as I can to see as many people and push as hard as I can to move forward in South Carolina because I think it’s really important,” Steyer added. | “I am pushing as hard as I can to see as many people and push as hard as I can to move forward in South Carolina because I think it’s really important,” Steyer added. |
| “It’s a diverse state. There are a lot of black people here, there are a lot of Latinos here. I think I’m talking directly to them about the issues that matter and that’s what I’m trying to do and that’s what I’m going to keep trying to do.” | “It’s a diverse state. There are a lot of black people here, there are a lot of Latinos here. I think I’m talking directly to them about the issues that matter and that’s what I’m trying to do and that’s what I’m going to keep trying to do.” |
| The candidates are gathered in Charleston tonight in advance of Saturday’s South Carolina primary, but a much more crucial test awaits them on Tuesday. | The candidates are gathered in Charleston tonight in advance of Saturday’s South Carolina primary, but a much more crucial test awaits them on Tuesday. |
| Next week, 16 states and territories will hold contests for Super Tuesday, when more than 1,300 delegates will be awarded to the presidential candidates. (As a reminder, candidates need 1,991 delegates to clinch the nomination.) | Next week, 16 states and territories will hold contests for Super Tuesday, when more than 1,300 delegates will be awarded to the presidential candidates. (As a reminder, candidates need 1,991 delegates to clinch the nomination.) |
| Although nearly five months remain until the Democratic convention, more than 60% of all delegates will be awarded by 17 March, so the next few weeks will be critical in determining the eventual nominee. | Although nearly five months remain until the Democratic convention, more than 60% of all delegates will be awarded by 17 March, so the next few weeks will be critical in determining the eventual nominee. |
| That tight timeline has led many establishment Democrats to express panic that Bernie Sanders may soon gain an insurmountable delegate lead. | That tight timeline has led many establishment Democrats to express panic that Bernie Sanders may soon gain an insurmountable delegate lead. |
| Tonight is the last debate before Super Tuesday, so it may be the final opportunity for Sanders’ opponents to throw some roadblocks in his path to the nomination. | Tonight is the last debate before Super Tuesday, so it may be the final opportunity for Sanders’ opponents to throw some roadblocks in his path to the nomination. |
| Joe Biden has long portrayed South Carolina as his “firewall,” fortified by his support among black voters and particularly older black voters. | Joe Biden has long portrayed South Carolina as his “firewall,” fortified by his support among black voters and particularly older black voters. |
| But after disastrous performances in Iowa and New Hampshire – overwhelmingly white electorates that Biden said did not reflect the diversity of his support – and a distant second-place in Nevada, South Carolina has emerged as a must-win for the former vice president who was recently overtaken by Bernie Sanders as the frontrunner. | But after disastrous performances in Iowa and New Hampshire – overwhelmingly white electorates that Biden said did not reflect the diversity of his support – and a distant second-place in Nevada, South Carolina has emerged as a must-win for the former vice president who was recently overtaken by Bernie Sanders as the frontrunner. |
| According to several recent surveys, Biden has been bleeding support in South Carolina, so much so that he’s started to say that the state is not his campaign’s “firewall.” An NBC News/Marist poll released yesterday showed Biden leading Sanders by just 4 points in South Carolina. | According to several recent surveys, Biden has been bleeding support in South Carolina, so much so that he’s started to say that the state is not his campaign’s “firewall.” An NBC News/Marist poll released yesterday showed Biden leading Sanders by just 4 points in South Carolina. |
| Tom Steyer, the billionaire from California, has gained ground on Biden in recent weeks by spending heavily on advertising in the state. After missing a debate, Steyer qualified on Tuesday. | Tom Steyer, the billionaire from California, has gained ground on Biden in recent weeks by spending heavily on advertising in the state. After missing a debate, Steyer qualified on Tuesday. |
| “What’s happening is you have Steyer spending hundreds of millions, tens of thousands of dollars, millions of dollars, out campaigning there,” Biden said in an interview on CBS News’s Face the Nation on Sunday. “And so I think a lot is happening in terms of the amount of money being spent by the billionaires to try to cut into the African American vote. I think that has a lot to do with it.” | “What’s happening is you have Steyer spending hundreds of millions, tens of thousands of dollars, millions of dollars, out campaigning there,” Biden said in an interview on CBS News’s Face the Nation on Sunday. “And so I think a lot is happening in terms of the amount of money being spent by the billionaires to try to cut into the African American vote. I think that has a lot to do with it.” |
| In the interview, Biden refused to “pontificate” on whether a second- or first-place finish is necessary for his campaign, though many Democrats believe a win is essential to his survival at this point. | In the interview, Biden refused to “pontificate” on whether a second- or first-place finish is necessary for his campaign, though many Democrats believe a win is essential to his survival at this point. |
| Firewall or no firewall, Biden was defiant: “I’m going to go all the way through this thing.” | Firewall or no firewall, Biden was defiant: “I’m going to go all the way through this thing.” |
| Of the seven candidates on stage tonight, no one needs a strong showing more than Mike Bloomberg. | Of the seven candidates on stage tonight, no one needs a strong showing more than Mike Bloomberg. |
| The billionaire former New York mayor suffered a disastrous performance in last week’s debate, his first appearance on stage since launching his campaign in late November. Bloomberg fumbled his responses to obvious lines of attack, such as his past support for “stop-and-frisk” and his reported history of making sexist comments. | The billionaire former New York mayor suffered a disastrous performance in last week’s debate, his first appearance on stage since launching his campaign in late November. Bloomberg fumbled his responses to obvious lines of attack, such as his past support for “stop-and-frisk” and his reported history of making sexist comments. |
| “It’s hard to imagine a worse showing for a presidential candidate appearing in his first debate than the one Mr Bloomberg had last week,” the New York Times wrote. | “It’s hard to imagine a worse showing for a presidential candidate appearing in his first debate than the one Mr Bloomberg had last week,” the New York Times wrote. |
| Bloomberg is not actually competing in the South Carolina primary, instead focusing on the 16 states and territories that will hold contests on Super Tuesday next week. | Bloomberg is not actually competing in the South Carolina primary, instead focusing on the 16 states and territories that will hold contests on Super Tuesday next week. |
| However, if Bloomberg cannot improve upon his last debate performance, it may cost him votes in crucial states like California and Texas, which will each award hundreds of delegates on Tuesday. | However, if Bloomberg cannot improve upon his last debate performance, it may cost him votes in crucial states like California and Texas, which will each award hundreds of delegates on Tuesday. |
| Bloomberg has previewed his strategy in recent days, releasing a digital ad criticizing Bernie Sanders’ record on gun control and accusing the frontrunners’ supporters of deploying divisive rhetoric. | Bloomberg has previewed his strategy in recent days, releasing a digital ad criticizing Bernie Sanders’ record on gun control and accusing the frontrunners’ supporters of deploying divisive rhetoric. |
| The billionaire is hoping those attack lines will land tonight. Otherwise, his campaign may turn out to be a $500m mistake. | The billionaire is hoping those attack lines will land tonight. Otherwise, his campaign may turn out to be a $500m mistake. |
| Good evening, live blog readers! | Good evening, live blog readers! |
| The tenth Democratic debate has arrived, marking the third debate this month and the second in a week. However, the dynamics of the race have shifted since the candidates faced off last week in the most contentious debate of the election cycle yet. | The tenth Democratic debate has arrived, marking the third debate this month and the second in a week. However, the dynamics of the race have shifted since the candidates faced off last week in the most contentious debate of the election cycle yet. |
| Bernie Sanders has cemented his status as the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination after a landslide victory in Nevada, where he defeated second-place Joe Biden by 27 points. | Bernie Sanders has cemented his status as the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination after a landslide victory in Nevada, where he defeated second-place Joe Biden by 27 points. |
| A number of commentators have said Sanders could gain an insurmountable delegate lead on Super Tuesday next week, meaning this may be the last chance for the Vermont senator’s opponents to slow his momentum. | A number of commentators have said Sanders could gain an insurmountable delegate lead on Super Tuesday next week, meaning this may be the last chance for the Vermont senator’s opponents to slow his momentum. |
| Sanders will likely find himself on the receiving end of a number of attacks, and his effectiveness at responding could determine his success in Saturday’s South Carolina primary and beyond. | Sanders will likely find himself on the receiving end of a number of attacks, and his effectiveness at responding could determine his success in Saturday’s South Carolina primary and beyond. |
| The candidates will take the stage in Charleston at 8 pm ET, so stay tuned. | The candidates will take the stage in Charleston at 8 pm ET, so stay tuned. |