Bernie Sanders goes after Bloomberg in final Vegas rally ahead of Nevada caucuses
Check back for live updates from throughout the day as Nevada Democrats head to caucuses around the state.
LAS VEGAS – Sen. Bernie Sanders used his last rally before the Nevada caucuses to make a case for nominating a candidate who can not only beat President Donald Trump but enact a slate of progressive priorities.
“What we’re trying to do is not just defeat Trump but transform our economy and the way our government does business,” he told a crowd of about 2,000 people gathered Friday night outside at Springs Preserve, a botanical garden in Las Vegas.
As Nevadans head to caucus, Sanders sought throughout the night to draw a distinction between himself and other candidates to his right – particularly former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is not competing in Nevada but has jumped into the race elsewhere in recent months with a substantial personal fortune to finance his campaign.
“I do not believe in oligarchy, where billionaires are buying elections. The last couple weeks, Donald Trump has been out there with his billionaire friends, gets $150,000 a person for the Republican Party. We got Michael Bloomberg worth $60 billion,” Sanders said, the crowd booing the mention of both Bloomberg and Trump. “Bloomberg has every right in the world to run for president. He has no right to buy the presidency.”
– Andrew Oxford, Arizona Republic
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Nevada’s Latino voters
One of the key arguments for moving up Nevada in the schedule of primaries and caucuses was that it would give more weight to the voices of Latino voters.
But has it worked?
After all, the frontrunners are all white and most come from the Northeast.
“Iowa and New Hampshire unfortunately still dominate so much of the conversation throughout the year leading up to the election, the first caucus, and obviously for a few weeks after that,” said U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, who was campaigning for Sen. Elizabeth Warren at a forum on immigration last week.
But, he added, moving up Nevada in the schedule of nominating contests has prompted candidates to engage with Latino voters here.
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“The Latino community here in Nevada, in Las Vegas, is more engaged than a lot of other places where you have similar communities because the candidates are reaching out to them. The campaigns are knocking on their doors, sending them mailers, calling their cell phones. And that makes a difference,” said Castro, whose twin brother Julian ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party’s nomination and is now backing Warren, too.
Nevada is proof, the congressman argued, that campaigns can turn out Latino voters — if they try.
– Andrew Oxford, Arizona Republic
What’s at stake in the Nevada Democratic caucuses
WASHINGTON – After caucus chaos in Iowa earlier this month, Nevada’s first-in-the-West contest marks a critical test for candidates and the party alike.
Nevada’s caucuses, which begin at 3 p.m. ET, also are the first opportunity to see how Democratic presidential candidates fare with a more diverse electorate, afte contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, predominately white states.
Saturday will test whether Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders can hold his frontrunner status, after winning New Hampshire and placing in the top two in Iowa. Sanders also led in recent national polling.
Former mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who have both polled low with Black and Latino voters, face a bigger test in Nevada. Their momentum from New Hampshire, where Buttigieg came in a close second and Klobuchar in a surprising third, could be challenged by Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s strong debate performance.
Like Klobuchar in New Hampshire, Warren will hope to see a last minute surge among Nevadans. Warren’s pressure on former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg dominated headlines, and her campaign has raised more than $5 million since.
Some candidates, such as former Vice President Joe Biden and billionaire Tom Steyer, are banking on strong nights due to the diverse population of voters. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 30% of Nevadans are Latino. In addition, 10% of Nevadans are African American and nearly 9% are Asian.
Biden, who placed fourth in Iowa and fifth in New Hampshire, has repeatedly argued over the past several weeks that he will find his stride in the states with more diverse electorates. Steyer has made similar comments.
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But the other big test of the day will be on the party. There is still not a declared winner in the Iowa caucuses after an app failure, a bogged down back-up phone line and statistical inaccuracies threw the process into disarray. Nevada Democrats have enacted several changes they hope will keep them clear of the issues Iowa Democrats faced.
The results of the Nevada caucuses could continued to push forward several candidates going into South Carolina’s primary on Feb. 29, as well as on to Super Tuesday.