Warren says Bloomberg’s debate presence will allow Democrats to show how they’d take on an ‘egomaniac billionaire’ like Trump

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is leading national surveys, at 24.8%, according to a Real Clear Politics polling average. Former Vice President Joe Biden is at 17.8%, Bloomberg is at 14.6%, and Warren is at 12.6%.

Candidates besides Warren, including Biden, have also signaled that they are thirsty for blood. While Bloomberg has been able to saturate television viewers with advertisements, his rivals argue that he has not yet had to face questions about his record.

Bloomberg has faced renewed scrutiny over his record on race and policing while he was mayor and about the conditions for women in his flagship financial services business, Bloomberg LP. He has also faced questions about what he will do with the business if elected. A senior Bloomberg advisor, Tim O’Brien, told CNN on Tuesday that Bloomberg would sell the company, and also release his tax returns.

Biden said in an interview with MSNBC on Monday that Bloomberg “can buy every ad he wants, but he can’t, in fact, wipe away his record on everything from dealing with stop-and-frisk to his foreign policy assertions and the like.”

“And so I’m looking forward to debating Michael Bloomberg,” Biden said.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., another candidate vying for the nomination, said she welcomed Bloomberg’s appearance at the debate — because she could beat him.

“I can’t beat him on the airwaves, but I can beat him on the debate stage,” she said Sunday during an interview on “Meet the Press.”

Bloomberg, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has spent more than $400 million already on campaign advertising.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/18/democratic-debate-elizabeth-warren-threatens-to-go-after-bloomberg.html