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With 21 days until the Iowa caucus, time is running out for the Democratic candidates to stand out, and because of this, it seems as if long time allies and friends Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren have decided to take the gloves off. Leading up to the first Caucus in the country there is no clear leader in this large field of candidates.
The DMRegister/CNN Iowa polling from January 2nd to January 8th shows senator Elizabeth Warren, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, and former Vice President Joe Biden are neck and neck in polling at 17, 16, and 15 points respectively. Sanders tops the field in the CNN poll with 20 percent of respondents saying Sanders is their top choice. According to the same CNN/Dm Register poll Warren manages to top the field including Senator Sanders by one point when combining voters’ first and second choices.
One day before the top six candidates took the debate stage for the last time prior to the Iowa caucuses, the Warren campaign told CNN that the Vermont Senator told the Massachusetts senator in a private conversation that it is his opinion that a woman can not win the Presidency.
Warren later confirmed the report releasing a statement reading “Among the topics that came up was what would happen if Democrats nominated a female candidate. I thought a woman could win; he disagreed.” Sanders also released a statement claiming he never said such words to the Massachusetts senator.
When pressed about his alleged statements during the conversation between the two senators, Sanders doubled down saying not only did he think a woman could win the presidency but he in fact deferred to his Massachusetts colleague to run before deciding to launch his own presidential bid when Warren did not enter the race.
Senator Warren did not back down from her statements again stating, “I believed a woman could win, Bernie disagreed” when asked by a CNN moderator what was her response to Bernie’s statements. After the debate was over tensions did not die down, when Sanders put his hand out for his colleague and “friend” to shake, Senator Warren declined the embrace sparking a conversation that saw the Vermont Senator throw his hands up while walking away.
The disagreement between the two sides did not end once the two senators left the debate stage, as both candidates’ supporters began to go after the opposing candidates’ accusations. Top backers of Senator Sanders such as YouTube political commentator Kyle Kulinski tweeted “Warren says “some things are more important than politics” — that knife you shoved in Bernie’s back begs to differ. #DemDebate,” others simply tweeted snake emojis or the hashtag Warren Refund which trended on twitter during and after the debate.
Warren supporter Amber Tamblyn tweeted “To the people being harassed, bullied, and talked down to, both in public and behind closed doors, because they believe wholeheartedly in the message, momentum, and brilliance that is Elizabeth Warren— Keep going. Keep fighting. She’s the one.” in support of the Massachusetts senator. With less than three weeks until the Iowa caucus the country will see if the accusations impact either the Warren or Sanders campaign.
Written by Jaylen Conwell
Edited by Kimberley Spinney
Sources:
Politico: Bernie Sanders’ Very Online Fans Are Filling Elizabeth Warren’s Twitter Mentions With Snakes
Real Clear Politics: CNN/ DMRegister Iowa
CNN: Bernie Sanders told Elizabeth Warren in private 2018 meeting that a woman can’t win, sources say
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons license