Democratic rivals try to dent Sanders' frontrunner status

Bernie Sanders.
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The Democratic presidential candidates spread out across the country, with several rivals questioning the electability of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in a bid to slow his momentum after his decisive win in the Nevada caucuses. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg said in Virginia that the progressive Sanders would alienate moderate voters Democrats need to beat President Trump in November, The New York Times reports.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, who placed a distant second in Nevada as Sanders claimed victory in his third straight state, told CBS News' Face the Nation, "The Russians don't want me to be the nominee," adding, "they like Bernie." Sanders said polls showed he could beat Trump, and he blamed the "corporate media" for fueling suggestions he couldn't.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.