Democrats pile on Bloomberg at Las Vegas debate

LAS VEGAS — Several 2020 White House hopefuls opened Wednesday night’s Democratic debate in Las Vegas by piling onto former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) describing him as a misogynist who has promoted racist policies.

Bloomberg was making his first appearance on the debate stage and his rivals came out hot, blasting him in the first minutes of the event for the stop-and-frisk policing he oversaw as mayor of New York City and for media reports about sexist remarks he’s made in the work place.

“A billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians, and no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump, I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg,” Warren said. “Democrats will not win if we have a nominee with a history … of harassing women and supporting racist policies like redlining and stop and frisk. … Democrats take a huge risk if we substitute one arrogant billionaire for another.” 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also pointed to the stop-and-frisk policy as evidence that Bloomberg’s nomination would suppress turnout among voters of color.

“In order to beat Donald Trump we’ll need the largest voter turnout in history of the U.S.,” Sanders said. “Mr. Bloomberg had policies in New York City of stop and frisk that went after African Americans and Latinos in a major way, that’s not how you grow turnout.”

Rather than defend his record, Bloomberg responded by making the case for his own electability. 

“We have two questions to face tonight: Who can beat Donald Trump, and who can do the job if they get in the White House?” Bloomberg said. “I’m the candidate who can do both of those things. … I know who to take on an arrogant con man who comes from New York.”

Bloomberg fired back at Sanders, warning that the democratic socialist would lose in a landslide to President Trump.

“I don’t think there’s any chance of the senator beating President Trump,” Bloomberg said. “You don’t start out saying I have 160 million people I’ll take away their insurance. That’s not how you build the coalition that the Sanders camp thinks they can do. I don’t think there’s any chance whatsoever. If he’s the candidate we’ll have Donald Trump for another four years.”