Who’s best for Hispanics? Clinton, Sanders debate
MIAMI — Hillary Clinton batted away a question about whether she would drop out of the presidential race if indicted over the handling of her email as she and Bernie Sanders opened their latest debate Wednesday by both proclaiming they had a strong pathway to the Democratic nomination.
Univision’s Jorge Ramos hit Clinton with a blunt question in the debate’s opening moments, asking: “If you’re indicted, will you drop out?
“Oh for goodness, that is not going to happen,” Clinton declared. “I’m not even going to answer that question.”
The FBI is investigating the possibility of mishandling of sensitive information passed through Clinton’s private email server while she was secretary of state.
Sanders, as he has in the past, declined to bite on the issue, saying, “The process will take its course.” He said he’d rather talk about the issues of wealth and income inequality.
The two candidates laid out rival paths to the nomination, Clinton stressing she has a strong lead in the delegates. She declared, “This is a marathon, and it is a marathon that can only be carried by the kind of campaign I am running.”
Sanders, for his part, said he’d come a long way from the early days when his campaign was largely written off. He called his upset victory in Michigan on Tuesday evidence his message is resonating.
“We are going to continue to do extremely well,” he said, adding that he expects to persuade superdelegates who are backing Clinton to switch to his column.
With Florida offering the biggest prize in next Tuesday’s round of voting, the two candidates quickly exchanged attacks over who’s been a true advocate for Latinos and who’s been a friend only out of political convenience.
Clinton faulted Sanders for repeatedly voting against a 2007 comprehensive immigration reform bill; he faulted her for opposing a 2007 effort to allow people who were in the country illegally to obtain driver’s licenses.
The candidates squared off soon after a testy debate in Michigan on Sunday in which they argued about trade and economic issues of particular interest in the industrial Midwest. This time, immigration and other matters of special concern to the Latino community loomed large. Florida is home to nearly 1.8 million Hispanics, including about 15 percent of the state’s Democrats.
The candidates also are focusing on a broader audience, with Missouri, Illinois, Ohio and North Carolina also in Tuesday’s primary lineup, and a total of 691 delegates at stake.