Takeaways from the Democrats' Las Vegas debate

WASHINGTON — Billionaire Michael Bloomberg, rising in the polls, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who's leading in them, entered the ninth Democratic debate as the main targets Wednesday night, as the four other presidential hopefuls onstage looked to stop their momentum.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts wasted no time in attacking Bloomberg, often comparing him to President Donald Trump.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, each piled on with their own criticisms of Bloomberg, who has used his vast wealth to self-fund an insurgent campaign that has outspent all of the candidates by millions of dollars.

Here are the highlights of a night of heated exchanges and viral moments in Las Vegas.

Bloomberg on defense

Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, entered the debate already facing questions about his past support of the stop-and-frisk policing tactic and his record with female employees.

The five other candidates onstage came prepared to seize on those controversies that have followed Bloomberg, including in his past mayoral campaigns.

Warren on multiple occasions sought to draw parallels between Bloomberg and Trump. She argued that Bloomberg’s use of nondisclosure agreements to prevent former female employees from speaking about harassment complaints could create the same “drip, drip, drip” of damaging news reports that have followed the Republican president into the White House.

When Bloomberg noted that he appointed several women to leadership positions in his administration and at his company, Warren shot back: "I hope you heard what his defense was: ‘I’ve been nice to some women.’ ”

Biden criticized Bloomberg’s past endorsement of stop-and-frisk, saying it amounted to “throwing 5 million black men up against the wall.” Sanders said the tactic treated “African American and Latinos in an outrageous way.”

Bloomberg noted he has apologized for using the practice, and has since sought to distance himself from it.

Bloomberg, who is seeking traction in the Democratic Party’s center lane, often dropped lines that underscored the gulf between him and working-class Americans. He noted that he “can’t go to TurboTax” to file his taxes. And when he urged viewers to head to his campaign website, he remarked, “But I am not asking for any money."

Brad Bannon, a Washington, D.C.-based Democratic strategist, said that after spending more than $400 million in TV and internet ads to date, Bloomberg still was “not ready for prime time.

“Just about every time he spoke, it was to defend himself from some sort of attack,” said Bannon. “During the whole exchange on health care, he did not say a word. It was like he faded into the backdrop. This would have been an opportunity for him to weigh in on an important policy issue to voters.”

Warren wages war

Warren — looking for a breakout performance with Sanders in the lead among progressive voters — threw jabs and zingers throughout the night, prompting many political pundits to declare her the “winner” of the debate.

Warren, known for her detailed policy proposals, compared Klobuchar’s health care proposal to a “Post-it note.” But moments later, in a show of solidarity with the only other woman on the debate stage, Warren defended her when Klobuchar came under attack by Buttigieg for not knowing the name of Mexico’s president during an interview last week.

Tomeka M. Robinson, a professor of rhetoric and public advocacy at Hofstra University, said Warren “showed her debate training … She was prepared to take on all of the other candidates and remind everyone why her candidacy should be taken seriously.”

Warren “had the best night,” said Robinson, who serves as coach of Hofstra’s debate team. “She showed her debate prowess, and she was prepared to take on every candidate and defend her policy ideas.”

Where's Biden?

Thursday’s debate marked the first in which Biden was no longer the leading candidate in national polls.

Without his front-runner status, and following primary losses in Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden no longer was treated as a major threat by the other candidates, who largely avoided attacking him as they had in previous debates.

Biden struggled to insert himself into the fast-moving exchanges of the night, and sometimes cut himself short when responding to questions, saying his time to answer was almost over.

Biden clocked in at just over 13 minutes of speaking time, compared with Warren's nearly 17 minutes, according to CNN. Bloomberg spoke the least, with 13 minutes and 6 seconds.

Bannon, the strategist, said Biden’s performance was “not enough” to put him back in the front of the pack of Democratic contenders as he looks to gain momentum in South Carolina’s primary on Feb. 29.

“He did not stand out tonight,” Bannon said. “He tried to interject himself every so often, but it almost seemed like he was lost in the shuffle. If he wins South Carolina, it will help him stay in the race. But if he doesn’t win in South Carolina, his campaign will be in grave danger.”