Democrats spar over women presidents, war
IOWA (AP) — Elizabeth Warren made a forceful case for a female president and stood behind her accusation suggesting sexism by progressive rival Bernie Sanders in a tense Democratic debate that raised gender as a key issue in the sprint to Iowa’s presidential caucuses.
Sanders vehemently denied Warren’s accusation, which threatened to split the Democratic Party’s far-left flank — and a long-time liberal alliance – at a critical moment in the 2020 contest.
“Look at the men on this stage. Collectively they have lost 10 elections,” Warren exclaimed.
“The only people on this stage who have won every single election that they’ve been in are the women.”
An incredulous Sanders responded: “Does anybody in their right mind think a woman can’t be elected president?” he asked. “Of course a woman can win.”
He added: “I don’t know that that’s the major issue of the day.”
The drama unfolded just 20 days before Iowa’s kick-off caucuses with four candidates tangled at the top of the shifting field.
Long-time allies Warren and Sanders are icons in the party’s left wing.
Former vice president Joe Biden, considered the centrist in the race, has maintained his place as an establishment favorite thanks to relationships with Democratic officials that have spanned decades.
And Pete Buttigieg, a virtual unknown a year ago, is trying to carve his own path as a 37-year-old openly gay military veteran from the Midwest.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and businessman Tom Steyer joined them on stage.
The race until now has been defined by respectful policy differences and urgent opposition to US President Donald Trump’s re-election.
But on Tuesday night, the simmering feud between Warren and Sanders became literally a “he-said, she-said” clash between the progressive movement’s two biggest stars — sometimes overshadowed criticism of Trump and the leftwing’s desire to attack Biden and Buttigieg.