Clinton, Sanders Clash Before NH, Rubio Gains Ground
The two remaining Democratic presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, clashed last night in their final debate before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.
The pair tangled again and again, arguing over who was worthy of being considered the most progressive, the preferred term among some Democrats for "liberal."
In the MSNBC-sponsored debate, Sanders called Clinton a member of the establishment, while she went on the offensive against his implication that big financial contributions have influenced her positions.
"I think it is time for you to end the very artful smear that you and your campaign have been carrying out," Clinton said.
"Secretary Clinton does represent the establishment. I represent, I hope, ordinary Americans," Sanders said.
Polls show Sanders with a 20-point lead over Clinton in New Hampshire.
On the Republican side, the remaining candidates hold their final pre-primary debate Saturday night.
Polls show Donald Trump is maintaining his lead in New Hampshire, but the latest CNN/WMUR poll shows Marco Rubio gaining a lot of ground there, up 7 percent since Iowa.
That poll shows Trump with 29 percent support, Rubio with 18 percent, followed by Ted Cruz with 13 percent, John Kasich with 12, and Jeb Bush with 10 percent.