Democratic debate: Who won and who lost the latest 2020 showdown?

Warren came out swinging early, and slammed Bloomberg repeatedly during his debut on the debate stage

Candidates faced off during Las Vegas debate ahead of Nevada caucuses

(Getty Images)

Hurtling towards what could be a make-or-break vote for many candidates in Nevada this weekend, the leading Democratic presidential contenders have met in Las Vegas for one of the most heated debates of the primary season so far.

With the addition of the billionaire former mayor of New York City, Mike Bloomberg, to the stage, the five other candidates seemed to have an agreed upon foe — even as Bernie Sanders faced attacks from his peers as he attempts to solidify his standing as front-runner after two strong performances in Iowa and New Hampshire.

But, right out the gate, it was Elizabeth Warren who seemed to seize the night, comparing Mr Bloomberg to Donald Trump and drawing the billionaire into awkward responses on accusations that he made inappropriate jokes to women employees of his — while still lashing out at Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar for what she described as inadequate plans for overhauling healthcare.

“I’d like to talk about who we are running against, a billionaire who calls women ‘fat broads’ and ‘horse-faced lesbians.’” Ms Warren, whose campaign said it had its best hour of fundraising of the campaign during the debate, said. “And, no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump, I’m talking about mayor Bloomberg. We are not going to win if we have a nominee with a history of his tax returns of harassing women and of supporting racist policies like redlining and stop-and-frisk,”

Mr Sanders, for his part, held his own as front-runner, batting off attacks he has faced for some of his more brutal online supporters, and said he does not welcome those types of attacks in the name of his campaign.

But, throughout the night, Mr Sanders maintained his well-known focus on the issues he has focused on for years, including during the past year of his campaign. In a debate that featured heavily on bombshell attacks, that approach sometimes seemed tame, even if he did not have missteps.

When attacked by Mr Buttigieg — who also had a strong showing in the first two nominating states, but fell behind in the popular vote in both cases — attacked Mr Sanders over healthcare and the powerful Culinary Workers of America union in Nevada that has criticised his Medicare for All proposal, Mr Sanders shot back to declare he has robust union support.

“I saw some of those Tweets regarding the culinary workers union,” the Vermont senator said. “I have a 30-year, 100 per cent pro-union voting record. Do you think I would support or anybody supports me would be attacking union leader?”

It was a strong night for Mr Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, the two so-called fresh faces on the national stage who have been competing for the centrist and moderate lane in the primary season.

The two scrapped frequently, with Ms Klobuchar claiming that Mr Buttigieg lacked experience that shows he can win statewide office, while Mr Buttigieg attacking her for her record including her failure to pass legislation on immigration reform.

“I wish I were as perfect as you,” Ms Klobuchar said at one point during a heated exchange, in which Mr Buttigieg said her failures were offensive to a diverse state like Nevada.

“You’ve memorized a bunch of talking points and a bunch of things,” she continued, attacking him for not being “in the arena”.

For Joe Biden, who has seen his political fortunes falling, the night was a strong performance, with him seeming to relish in the opportunity to attack Mr Bloomberg for his stop-and-frisk policies as mayor of New York, which overwhelmingly targeted black and hispanic men in the city.

Mr Biden didn’t crack top three in either Iowa or New Hampshire, and his campaign likely now relies on a strong performance in either Nevada or the next state to vote, South Carolina.

Mr Bloomberg’s first appearance on the debate stage appeared to be damaging, with him often seeming to be on the defensive even as he pitched himself as the only candidate who can beat Mr Trump and defended his billionaire status by saying he “worked hard” for his money.