Democratic frontrunners hurled veiled critiques at each other during an Iowa fundraiser

There wasn't much palling around Friday evening at the Iowa Democratic Party's fundraiser dinner.

Leading Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and former Vice President Joe Biden directed not-so-veiled criticisms at one another while speaking before the Iowa crowd amid what looks to be a tightly contested caucus. The latter two targeted the more progressive Warren for being overly-pugnacious and unwilling to compromise on certain policies, which they feel will lead to more stagnation in American politics. "We will fight when we must fight but I will never allow us to get so wrapped up in the fighting that we start to think the fighting is the point," Buttigieg said.

Biden, who spoke after Buttigieg, said if the Democratic candidate can't bring the country together "we're in real, real, real trouble." But Warren held firm, arguing that "fear and complacency does not win elections" and reiterating that she is "not running some consultant-driven campaign with some vague ideas that are designed not to offend anyone."

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Speaking of not offending anyone, The New York Times noted that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was the only top-tier candidate who didn't go after his opponents, instead delivering a version of his normal stump speech, which was focused on the rights of the working class. Read more at The New York Times.