Frontrunner Bernie Sanders takes brunt of attacks during Democratic debate ahead of South Carolina primary
Follow along with our live coverage of the Democratic debate.
Bernie Sanders felt the burn during Tuesday’s debate.
The frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination took fire on the South Carolina debate stage from his Democratic rivals on a number of fronts – his comments about Fidel Castro’s Cuba, his harsh words against a prominent Jewish lobby, his general electability against President Donald Trump if he wins the nomination.
Tuesday's debate could be the last for several candidates who might not be able to keep their campaigns afloat without a strong showing on Super Tuesday.
“I’m hearing my name mentioned a little bit tonight,” the Vermont senator said less than 15 minutes into the debate. “I wonder why.”
The six other candidates on stage have little time left to slow Sanders’ momentum. He’s heading into South Carolina’s primary and Super Tuesday three days later with a decisive victory in Nevada added to a win in New Hampshire and a virtual tie in Iowa.
Facing pressure to prove both why they should stay in the race and why Sanders shouldn’t get the nomination, other candidates attacked him on the practicality of his plans, his ability to implement his promises and whether he would cause Democrats to lose not just the White House but Congress as well.
But pressed, on the first question, how a democratic socialist could do a better job with the economy than Trump, Sanders quickly took aim at former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
“The economy is doing really great for people like Mr. Bloomberg and other billionaires,” Sanders said.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, who needs a strong win in South Carolina’s primary Saturday to revive his struggling campaign, went after the other billionaire on the stage, Tom Steyer, who has been cutting into his support with African American voters there.
Biden attacked Steyer for his lack of political experience and his support for private prisons.
"Tommy come lately," Biden said at one point.
Elizabeth Warren, who spent most of the last debate going after Bloomberg, kept him in his sights but also homed in on Sanders.
Competing with Sanders for the most progressive voters, Warren said that while they agree on a lot of things, she would make a better president because she has shown on issues like financial reform that she can make things happen. And while both want universal health care, she said, Sanders’ plan doesn’t explain how to get there, including paying for it.
“I dug in and did the work and then Bernie’s team trashed me for it,” she said.
Amy Klobuchar also said Sanders’ health care plan couldn’t be enacted.
And Pete Buttigieg said House Democrats defending the most competitive districts are running away from Sanders’ platform as fast as they can.
Democrats will not be able to win critical Congressional races this fall if the party’s nominee is “telling people to look on the bright side of the Castro regime.”
Bloomberg, trying to make up for his widely-criticized performance at last week’s debate, made a joke about how he did.
Bloomberg said he’s surprised that the other candidates showed up “after I did such a good job at beating them last week.” He thought “that they’d be a little bit afraid to do that,” Bloomberg added, to some laughter from the audience.
Bloomberg also seemed peeved at the often free-for-all nature of the debate, complaining that none of his “fellow contestants” were following the time limits.
In fact, candidates often talked over each other as the moderators stood by.
“Why am I stopping? No one else stops,” Biden said after curtailing his remarks at one point. “It’s my Catholic school training.”
This just in from the "Spin Room": Everybody won
As usual, some of the candidates and many of their aides raced to the press area to declare victory after Tuesday's South Carolina debate.
The "Spin Room," a feature of debate nights for decades, is the space where campaign officials - and sometimes the candidates themselves – go to promote themselves or explain mistakes to various television reporters, writers, and assorted hangers-on.
Tonight, it was mostly praise for the candidates.
To sum up the spinning, in general:
Joe Biden was energetic and engaged.
Mike Bloomberg improved his performance from last week.
Bernie Sanders fended off the many attacks on his status as a front-runner.
Amy Klobuchar was cool and collected
Pete Buttigieg was thoughtful.
Tom Steyer made his case as an outsider who can shake things up.
There were a few complaints about the debate format and some of the questions.
Democratic voters in South Carolina get their say on Saturday.
-- David Jackson
‘A hot dish to the dictator next door’
On the subject of foreign diplomacy, Amy Klobuchar said she would be willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. But she said she’d take a different approach than Trump.
Trump thinks he can bring “a hot dish to the dictator next door,” she said, but his meetings with Kim have simply emboldened the North Korean leader.
Klobuchar said she would work with U.S. allies – “that is what this president fails at all the time” – to reopen arms negotiations and stand up to adversaries like Russia.
Biden called Kim “a thug” and accused Trump of granting him legitimacy.
But Biden got a bit perturbed when a moderator cut off his response. “Why am I stopping?” he asked. “No one else stops.”
--Michael Collins
Sanders uses Obama to defend his Cuba comments
Bernie Sanders brought up Barack Obama to defend his recent comments praising some aspects of Fidel Castro's Cuba
“What I said is what Barack Obama said in terms of Cuba – that Cuba made progress on education,” Sanders said, prompting some booing from the audience.
“Really? Really?” Sanders responded.
When the Cubans do something good, that should be recognized, he said.
“You don’t have to trade love letters with them,” he added.
Sanders has been much criticized for the comments since he was asked by interviewer Anderson Cooper on Sunday why the Cuban people didn't rise up and help the U.S. overthrow communist dictator Castro. Sanders said Castor “educated their kids, gave them health care, totally transformed the society, you know?"
Joe Biden said Obama’s past comments were different. Obama acknowledged that Cuba increased life expectancy but he condemned Cuba’s dictatorship -- which Biden said Sanders has not.
Sanders called that “categorically untrue.”
Buttigieg got into the game by saying that Democrats will not be able to win critical Congressional races this fall if the party’s nominee is “telling people to look on the bright side of the Castro regime.”
--Maureen Groppe
Candidates talk Coronavirus
Candidates discussed how they would combat infectious disease and epidemics, such as the coronovirus, on the same day a federal health official warned that the deadly disease could cause "severe" disruptions in the USA as global experts struggled to fend off the outbreak and avoid a pandemic.
All seemed to agree they would fund agencies such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and elevate international cooperation, things the Trump administration has cut.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar said the United States needs to “have treatments” for citizens infected and put them in a “quarantine situation. We don’t want to expose people, but we want to get them help.”
She also agreed with Mayor Bloomberg’s earlier dig against President Trump cutting funding to agencies such as the CDC.
Trump “hasn’t really yet addressed the nation on this topic,” Klobuchar declared. “But I want to take this out of politics right now. This is so serious. I’m not going to give my website right now, I am going to give the CDC’s website.”
Former vice president Joe Biden said he would treat Coronavirus “how we did with Ebola” regarding the virus that the Obama administration had to deal with in their second term that killed thousands in West Africa.
“I was part of making sure that pandemic did not get to the United States, saved millions of lives,” Biden continued.
He continued to slam Trump for “wiping” out the offices and funding the former administration set up to combat infectious diseases.
“No one up here has ever dealt internationally with any of these world leaders” he continued, insisting he would have been in coordination with leaders in China to contain the disease. “I’m the only one that has.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders demeaned Trump’s previous claims that the coronavirus could be wiped out by April when the weather gets warmer, calling the president a “self described ‘great genius.’”
“April is the magical date that this great scientist we have in the White House has determined, I wish I was kidding, that is what he said,” he continued.
Trump, who is flying back to Washington after a two-day trip India, took to Twitter to defend his administration’s response to coronavirus and to jab at Democrats.
Trump said in a pair of tweets – apparently sent from Air Force One – that his administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “are doing a GREAT job of handling Coronavirus.” He cited his decision to bar entry into the U.S. to most foreign nationals who had recently visited China.
“It was opposed by the Dems, ‘too soon,’ but turned out to be the correct decision,” he wrote. “No matter how well we do, however, the Democrats talking point is that we are doing badly.”
“If the virus disappeared tomorrow,” Trump continued, “they would say we did a really poor, and even incompetent, job. Not fair, but it is what it is. So far, by the way, we have not had one death. Let’s keep it that way!”
--Savannah Behrmann and Michael Collins
Joe Biden gets mad about debate rules
The Democratic debaters have constantly exceeded their time limits and interrupted each other, and no one is more upset about it than Joe Biden.
And Biden has just as often taken out his frustration, loudly, on the CBS moderators.
"I don’t know why you keep cutting me off,” Biden said at one point. “I’m not going to be quiet anymore, OK?"
Biden continued to voice his frustration when he stopped during one of his debate answers.
"Why I am stopping? No one else stops," he said.
– David Jackson
On National Security, candidates disagree - politely
Elizabeth Warren would beef up the nation’s diplomatic muscle by strengthening the State Department.
“Those are our eyes and ears on the ground,” she said when the debate turned to national security. “We need strong alliances. We need to be nicer to our friends than to dictators.”
Michael Bloomberg would keep some troops in strategic locations to prevent terrorist attacks.
“We have to have some troops in places where terrorists congregate,” he said. “And to not do so is just irresponsible … This is a dangerous world and if we haven’t learned that after 9-11, I don’t know what is going to teach us about what to do.”
Pete Buttigieg would invest more in national intelligence and, unlike President Donald Trump, plans to listen to his national security sources.
“We do not need intelligence capabilities,” he said. “But what good is that if we have president who doesn’t listen to them.”
The candidates diverged on national security issues but it was relatively tame discussion given the fireworks that erupted on other topics.
- Ledyard King
Candidates tout plans to tackle health issues
Mayor Michael Bloomberg was pressed over whether he would bring the strict policies against trans fats and “large sugary drinks” like he did in New York City to a national level if elected.
“What’s right for New York City, isn’t necessarily right for all the other cities, otherwise you’d have a naked cowboy in every city,” he said.
“We are a country where too many people are obese, we should do something about that,” he said, and continued to say that their regulations over public-smoking spread across the world, and could be used as a model for other health regulations.
Bloomberg also claimed that “there’s no question” that life expectancy for New Yorkers is higher after his policies as mayor. “It was three years greater than the national average.”
Bloomberg, citing health issues, had proposed banning the sales of 16-ounce sugary beverages to counter obesity in the nation's largest city.
Former Vice President Joe Biden chimed in that he wants to have an initiative at the National Institute of Health to track diseases that are dangerous to Americans.
He claimed that a $50 billion investment will focus on “obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer's and cancer, and we're going to make that investment because no one else is willing to make that investment. We can, in fact, find cures if we make the investment.”
“Even Republicans will support it. We have to focus on extending life, saving lives, and making people -- put them in a position where they’ll live longer and more securely.”
Biden lost his eldest son, Beau Biden, to brain cancer, in 2015. The former vice president was tasked with leading President Barack Obama's "Cancer Moonshot" initiative to find a cure for cancer in the last year of the Obama administration.
--Savannah Behrmann
Sanders: Drug laws ‘broken and racist’
Repeating a promise he has made before, Bernie Sanders said that, if elected, he would work to legalize marijuana and expunge the criminal records of those convicted of possession of the drug.
Sanders called drug laws “broken and racist” and vowed that on his first day in office he would work to change the federal statute regulating controlled substances.
Michael Bloomberg urged a go-slow approach, which he said is favored by many scientists. “Until we know the science, it’s just nonsensical to push ahead,” he said.
-Michael Collins
New debate hero: Amy Klobuchar's 'Uncle Dick in the deer stand'
Twitter users have a new political hero, courtesy of Amy Klobuchar's gun control policy.
The Minnesota senator said her proposals would not affect hunters – or, as she put, they wouldn't hurt "Uncle Dick in the deer stand."
Twitter users went wild in hailing "Uncle Dick," including comments that frankly are not suitable for a family newspaper.
"Shout-out to Uncle Dick in the deer stand," tweeted Charlotte Clymer, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign.
To be sure, Klobuchar isn't the first politician to invoke "real people" when talking policy.
Phil Gramm, the former Texas senator and Republican presidential candidate, used to say he evaluated plans based on how they would affect a friend named Dicky Flatt. He called it the "Dicky Flatt Test."
– David Jackson
Biden to gun makers: ‘I’m coming for you’
In a lively exchange on gun control, Joe Biden pointedly put gun manufacturers on notice.
“If I’m elected, I’m coming for you,” he said, “and gun manufacturers, I’m going to take you on.”
The back-and-forth over gun control was especially pertinent because the presidential debate is being held not far from where nine people were killed in a mass shooting in a black church in 2015.
Asked why Congress has failed to pass gun-control measures despite a long string of mass shootings in this country, Biden slammed Bernie Sanders for his past support of a measure that would shield gun manufacturers from lawsuits.
Sanders defended his record. He said he supports expanded background checks and ending a loophole that allows private individuals to sell or trade weapons at gun shows without undergoing a background check.
It’s time to “do what the American people want, not what the NRA wants,” he said.
Elizabeth Warren said Senate Republicans block gun-control measures and that the only way to pass such legislation is to roll back the filibuster, a parliamentary device frequently used to block legislation.
-Michael Collins
Bloomberg pokes fun at himself
Michael Bloomberg, trying to make up for his widely-criticized performance at last week’s debate, made a joke about how he did.
Bloomberg said he’s surprised that the other candidates showed up “after I did such a good job at beating them last week.” He thought “that they’d be a little bit afraid to do that,” Bloomberg added, to some laughter from the audience.
Bloomberg also seemed peeved at the often free-for-all nature of the debate, complaining that none of his “fellow contestants” were following the time limits.
-Maureen Groppe
Bloomberg starts to say he ‘bought’ Democrats while discussing his campaign contributions
After getting bashed by Elizabeth Warren for his giving to Republican candidates, Michael Bloomberg tried to make amends by pointing out that he gave around $100 million to Democratic congressional candidates in the 2018 cycle.
Bloomberg, a former Republican mayor of New York City, said his money helped elect 21 of the 40 House Democratic candidates and was ultimately responsible for flipping the House to Democratic control.
“All of the new Democrats (who) came in and put Nancy Pelosi in charge and gave the Congress the ability to control this president, I bough—I got them (in),” he said, appearing to catch himself before he said the word “bought.”
- Ledyard King
Bloomberg hit over NDA’s
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and billionaire Michael Bloomberg had a tense exchange over him releasing women from confidentiality agreements that may have been signed in connection with settlements of claims, and prohibit both parties from discussing certain information.
Warren dismissed Bloomberg calling such issues a “sideshow” and regurgitated allegations of Bloomberg telling a pregnant employee to “kill it” in the 1990’s. Bloomberg has denied this claim, and passionately said Tuesday, “I never said that!”
“People want a chance to hear from the women who have worked for Mike Bloomberg,” Warren continued of the discrimination alleged of Bloomberg and his company. “Let us have the opportunity to have the women speak.”
Bloomberg continued that he was wrong to make the jokes, alluding to comments he made during the last debate that women took his jokes wrong.
During her CNN town hall a few days ago, Warren read a legal document she drew up Bloomberg to sign, saying it would release women who worked for his company from nondisclosure agreements.
Tuesday, Bloomberg seemed to acknowledge that Warren's attacks during the last debate and onward influenced his decision to release some women from their NDAs.
“I don’t know what else she wants us to do,” he said of Warren, and briefly thanked her for pressing this issue. “The problem with this senator is, enough is never enough.”
During the first debate, Warren used her opening time on stage to slam Bloomberg, "A billionaire who calls women 'fat broads' and 'horse-faced lesbians,' and no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg."
--Savannah Behrmann
There's a reason Joe Biden is attacking Tom Steyer
Private businessman Tom Steyer is not the most well-known Democrat in the field, but there's a reason Joe Biden has attacked him in this debate.
Steyer is doing well in pre-primary polls in South Carolina and appears to be taking votes from Biden.
So Biden, who sees South Carolina as a must-win state, went after Steyer for his lack of political experience and his support for private prisons.
"Tommy come lately," Biden said at one point.
Steyer said Biden (and the other candidates) are part of a failed Democratic leadership that needs to be replaced.
He also pulled 18% in a pre-debate CBS poll in South Carolina poll, trailing only Biden (28%) and Bernie Sanders (23%)
– David Jackson
Buttigieg says Sanders would cost Democrats Congress
In a back-and-forth on the cost of Bernie Sanders’ health care plan, Pete Buttigieg interjected to say what he thought the real cost is.
“It adds up to four more years of Donald Trump,” Buttigieg said. And it would mean Republicans winning both the House and Senate.
The House Democrats trying to defend the most competitive districts are not embracing Medicare for All, he said. Instead, they are running away from Sanders’ platform as fast as they can.
Amy Klobuchar, who is competing for many of the same voters as Buttigieg, had a similar attack on Sanders. Klobuchar said most of the public doesn’t support Medicare for All, which can’t be enacted. Democrats should focus on making health insurance and prescription drugs less expensive, she said, instead of focusing on a “bunch of broken promises that sound good on bumper stickers.”
--Maureen Groppe
Steyer warns Democrats risk of re-electing Trump
Tom Steyer said Democrats are taking a huge gamble if they nominate Bernie Sanders or Michael Bloomberg to take on Donald Trump in November.
Echoing concerns raised by other Democrats as Sanders has soared into the lead in most polls, Steyer said the party risks re-electing Trump if its nominee “is going to be a Democratic socialist” or – in Bloomberg’s case – “someone who has a long history of being a Republican.”
“If we can not pull this party together, … we have a terrible risk of re-electing Donald Trump,” Steyer said.
Sanders pointed to polls showing that he beats Trump.
--Michael Collins
Warren hits Bloomberg for giving money to 'right-wing' Republicans
Elizabeth Warren revived her attacks on Michael Bloomberg in the Charleston debate, this time with an emphasis on the money he has given to "right-wing" Republican candidates.
The list includes South Carolina's own GOP senator Lindsey Graham, Warren said, as well as a Republican who opposed her in a Senate race.
"It didn't work," Warren said.
Warren said she doesn't care how much money Bloomberg has, but core Democrats cannot trust him because he has backed so many Republicans.
"He has not earned their trust," Warren said.
Bloomberg did not address his past GOP endorsements but instead cited his experience as New York mayor.
"I know what to do," Bloomberg said.
– David Jackson
Bloomberg and Buttigieg address race issues
As he was at the last debate, Michael Bloomberg was pressed on the controversial practice of “stop and frisk” policing conducted during his tenure as mayor. Bloomberg has apologized for that, so what exactly was he apologizing for, the moderator asked.
Bloomberg said he was apologizing for having let the practice get out of control. When that happened, he said, he cut it back and met with black leaders.
He pointed to the more than 100 black elected officials who have endorsed him when asked how he could put to rest any lingering fears about stop and frisk.
Pete Buttigieg, when prompted by the moderator, said that the practice was racist.
“It was about profiling people based on race,” he said.
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, added that he’s coming at the issue of discrimination with a “great deal of humility” because his community has had its own struggles.
And he said that he’s concerned that everyone on the debate stage talking about is white so does not have the lived experience to know what it’s like to be a person of color.
--Maureen Groppe
Biden hits Bernie on gun control voting record
Former Vice President Joe Biden hit Sen. Bernie Sanders on his record on guns, especially his votes against the Brady Bill, which established background checks and waiting periods for handgun purchases.
“You know, we talk about progressive. Let’s talk about being progressive,” Biden said, continuing to argue that the Brady Bill may have prevented a white supremacist from taking nine lives at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, which is in Charleston where the debate is being held.
“Bernie voted five times against the Brady Bill,” he continued. “A waiting period of twelve-hours. I’m not saying he’s responsible for the nine deaths, but that man would not have been able to get that weapon with the waiting period have been what I suggested, until you are cleared.”
Sanders has long backed an assault weapons ban, but on background checks, he argued the decision should be left to the states. He has previously defended his opposition to federal restrictions, such as the Brady Bill, on the grounds that his votes reflected the views of his constituents in Vermont, a rural state with many hunting enthusiasts.
- Savannah Behrmann
Biden: ‘I will win South Carolina’
Former Vice President Joe Biden was asked how he intended to win South Carolina with polls showing his support slipping among African-Americans.
Biden responded that he intended to earn the vote of African-Americans. But he stressed that he has been coming to the state for years, citing his focus on job creation and support for civil rights and liberties.
Will he drop out of the race if he doesn’t win South Carolina?
“I will win South Carolina,” Biden vowed. “And I will win the African-American vote.”
-Michael Collins
Buttigieg: Russia helping Sanders means ‘chaos is coming our way’
It didn’t take long before Bernie sanders had to defend not only his democratic socialist agenda but the help he’s apparently getting from Russia to win the Democratic nomination.
After Michael Bloomberg told Sanders Russia wants him elected, the Vermont senator said he doesn’t want Moscow’s assistance despite U.S. intelligence reports that the Kremlin is interfering in a way that would benefit the Vermont senator.
“Let me tell Mr. Putin who interfered in the 2016 election, trying to bring Americans against Americans: ‘Hey, Mr. Putin, if I’m the president of the United States, trust me, you’re not going to interfere in any more American elections,” Sanders said.
At that point, Pete Buttigieg said there’s a reason Russia wants Sanders as the nominee against Trump, the president the Mueller Report concluded was helped by Putin in 2016: “They don’t have a political party. They want chaos. And chaos is what is coming our way.”
- Ledyard King
Donald Trump is probably watching this debate from Air Force One
Minutes after the Democratic debate began, President Donald Trump arrived at Ramstein air base in Germany as he wings his way back to Washington after his quick trip to India.
The odds that Trump is watching the debate as Air Force One is re-fueled?
Pretty high.
We'll keep our eyes peeled for tweets.
– David Jackson
Warren switches her focus from Bloomberg to Sanders
Elizabeth Warren, who spent most of the last debate going after Michael Bloomberg, immediately homed in on Bernie Sanders this time.
Competing for the most progressive voters, Warren said that she and Sanders agree on a lot of things but she would make a better president because she will dig into the details to make change happen.
As an example, she said she built the coalitions to fight the banks and reform the financial system.
While both want universal health care, she said, Sanders’ plan doesn’t explain how to get there, including paying for it.
“I dug in and did the work and then Bernie’s team trashed me for it,” she said.
Progressives have shot, she concluded, and “we need to spend it on a leader who will get something done.”
- Maureen Groppe
Sanders: Doesn't everybody still love me?
Anticipating he will be the target at tonight's debate, Bernie Sanders sent out a mocking tweet just minutes before the festivities began in Charleston.
It was a video of the other candidates praising him in the past.
"Looking forward to hearing more enthusiastic support from my opponents tonight," Sanders.
- David Jackson
Look for Sanders to take heat tonight over guns
Mike Bloomberg took most of the criticism at last week's debate in Las Vegas, but there are signs that tonight's South Carolina face-off will put someone else in the barrel: Front-runner Bernie Sanders.
Bloomberg, Joe Biden and their aides served notice that the victor in New Hampshire and Nevada will be called upon, again, to explain his record on guns.
"Ban assault weapons," Biden tweeted an hour before the debate. "Enact universal background checks. Hold gun manufacturers accountable. End our gun violence epidemic."
Bloomberg also tweeted ahead of the contest that "on the debate stage tonight, I hope we get a chance to talk about something I've dedicated my life to: ending gun violence."
Sanders, who has voted against gun control measures during his congressional career, has said he represented the views of his gun ownership constituency in Vermont.
But Sanders, criticized on the gun issue by Hillary Clinton during their 2016 primary battle, has also said he has "evolved" on the issue – and will likely echo that argument tonight in Charleston.
Bloomberg’s damage control
One of the toughest hits Michael Bloomberg took in last week’s debate was Elizabeth Warren’s pressure to end the non-disclosure agreements between his company and women who raised complaints about how they were treated.
Two days later, Bloomberg agreed to release three women from their confidentiality agreements. The women had complained about comments he’d made, according to the campaign.
Bloomberg is now running ads featuring praise from other women who’ve worked for him.
“There’s nobody that I respect more and felt more respected by,” one woman says.
Reporting by ABC News, The Washington Post and other outlets previously revealed a history of allegations of sexism, pregnancy discrimination and a hostile work environment in Bloomberg’s company.
His longtime partner, Diana Taylor, was plainspoken when asked by CBS Monday to respond to those bothered by the allegations against Bloomberg and bothered by his response to the issue at last week’s debate.
“It was 30 years ago,” she said. “Get over it.”
Bloomberg’s campaign later said Taylor was offering her personal view and was not speaking for the campaign.
--Maureen Groppe
Billionaire Bloomberg has spent more than $100 million on digital ads per report
Michael Bloomberg who has suggested he might pony up as much as $1 billion of his own fortune to defeat President Donald Trump, has outspent his Democratic primary opponents when it comes to digital advertising.
Combined.
With South Carolina’s Saturday primary approaching as well as the 14 Super Tuesday states three days later, the former New York City mayor has coughed up more than $101 million in digital ads across the country, according to an analysis by the liberal advocacy group ACRONYM.
More than 60 percent of Bloomberg’s on-line spending has been in Michigan, according to the analysis, which covers the period through Feb. 16. The analysis does not include campaign spending by candidates on television and radio.
The rest of the Democratic field has collectively spent about $88 million on digital advertising with Tom Steyer ($29.9 million), Bernie Sanders ($15.7 million), Pete Buttigieg ($15.4 million) and Elizabeth Warren ($12.2) rounding out the top five.
The analysis shows Bloomberg also has spent more than twice the $44 million Trump has committed.
- Ledyard King
Warren is still gunning for Bloomberg
As Elizabeth Warren eviscerated Michael Bloomberg in last week’s debate, a Wikipedia user edited Bloomberg’s page to say he had died of wounds inflicted by Warren.
The Massachusetts senators raised millions of dollars after her performance, although pundits noted that it’s Bernie Sanders who is blocking Warren’s path for the nomination more than Bloomberg.
We don’t know what she’ll do on stage Tuesday. But she is out with an ad attacking Bloomberg that’s running in Super Tuesday states.
"You've probably seen more ads for Michael Bloomberg than the rest of us running for president put together,” she says in the ad. “Big money is powerful. But it doesn't always win."
The example she gives is her 2012 Senate race in which Bloomberg supported the campaign of her GOP opponent.
“But I beat him anyway,” Warren says.
- Maureen Groppe
Democrats expected to make Sanders "feel the burn" on debate stage
Fresh off a dominating win in the Nevada Caucuses Saturday, Bernie Sanders ascends the debate stage Tuesday night in Charleston, S.C., with a bullseye on his back.
Not only has the Vermont senator emerged as the early frontrunner but his controversial comments he made praising aspects of Fidel Castro's Cuba has already drawn sharp criticism from his opponents, notable former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Sanders' remarks during an interview with "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday night is expected to be a topic his rivals will raise during the debate if the moderators don't bring it up first.
The two-hour debate, which starts at 8 p.m., is being co-hosted by CBS News and the Congressional Black Caucus institute.
Cuba controversy: Sanders praises some of Castro's policies, angering Republicans and Democrats in Florida
Palmetto punch: Why GOP-friendly South Carolina is still a key state for Democratic presidential hopefuls
Aside from Sanders and Bloomberg, the stage will feature former vice president Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, California businessman Tom Steyer, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Steyer missed the last debate in Las Vegas but qualified for the one in South Carolina where he's spent millions to keep his flagging campaign hopes alive. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii did not qualify to appear in Charleston.
South Carolina's primary is Saturday. Most polls show Biden with a slight lead over Sanders with Steyer coming in third. Bloomberg is not on the ballot but he and the other Democrats on stage will be when voters in the 14 states that make up Super Tuesday three days later go to the polls.
Interactive guide: Who is running for president in 2020? An interactive guide
The calendar: When are the 2020 presidential election primaries?
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democratic debate: Bernie Sanders takes attacks from all sides
