Gloves come off at Nevada debate

The top Democratic presidential candidates battled each other and latecomer Michael Bloomberg on Wednesday night in Las Vegas over the question of electability. Recent rule changes by the Democratic National Committee allowed Bloomberg into the debate for the first time this campaign season ahead of the Nevada caucuses on Saturday.

Which candidates clashed? They all piled on Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City. Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg took aim at Bloomberg’s past controversial comments and policies about race and his alleged instances of sexual harassment. Warren said Democrats “take a huge risk if we just substitute one arrogant billionaire for another.”

Bloomberg, meanwhile, argued President Donald Trump would defeat any Democratic opponent who favored abolishing private health insurance. He and the other candidates sparred over healthcare, socialism, climate change, and other topics. Near the end, one moderator asked whether the candidate with the most delegates by the time of the Democratic convention this summer should earn the nomination, even if they did not have a majority. None of the candidates except Sanders endorsed the idea.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Stew about how the Democratic field has narrowed in the past week.