Clinton,
Sanders race takes on angrier tone after Nevada
Send a link to a friend
[February 23, 2016]
By Luciana Lopez
(Reuters) - The race between Hillary
Clinton and Bernie Sanders for the U.S. Democratic presidential
nomination - once a civil affair - has taken a sour turn, with
mud-slinging from both camps over the former secretary of state's win in
the Nevada caucuses.
|
Sanders' supporters are alleging that foul play by casino managers
helped Clinton out in Saturday’s contest, while Clinton's camp has
blasted - in at times vulgar terms - the Vermont senator's assertion
he took the state's Latino vote.
The tensions reflect the tight battle between the two heading into
next Saturday's South Carolina primary. Sanders, who had surged in
recent months to challenge front-runner Clinton, is trying to
maintain momentum against her in a part of the United States where
she wields an advantage among minority voters.
The angrier tone also marks a turn from what has been a mostly civil
race on the Democratic side, in contrast with the noisy
insult-hurling that has characterized much of the Republican race. .
While Sanders and the former first lady have publicly clashed on
their approaches to healthcare and regulating Wall Street, they have
frequently emphasized their common ground on social issues.
Sanders has also refused so far to join in Republican attacks on
Clinton's record as secretary of state. "Let's talk about the real
issues facing America," he said during one televised debate.
The tone soured after Nevada.
Officials with National Nurses United, which endorsed Sanders, have
said there were irregularities at casino caucus sites - such as
casino managers wearing Clinton paraphernalia - which they said
amounted to intimidation of casino employee voters.
"From what nurses observed in Nevada Sanders campaign should call
for UN observers to protect democracy," the union said in one
Twitter post on Sunday.
Neither Clinton nor Sanders' campaigns immediately responded to
requests for comment on the allegations.
Meanwhile, both campaigns have argued about what the polling from
the Nevada caucuses show. One set of entrance and exit poll results
conducted by CBS News showed Sanders took 53 percent of Latino votes
in the state. This is a critical group for Sanders as he seeks to
broaden his support base after his early results - a very narrow
loss and a decisive win - in Iowa and New Hampshire, which have
overwhelmingly white voter populations.
[to top of second column] |
"I don't typically like to swear on Twitter, but by all accounts so
far this is complete and utter bullshit," Clinton spokesman Nick
Merrill wrote on Twitter, referring to a Sanders' campaign press
release asserting he took the Latino bloc in Nevada.
Clinton has been expected to find easier territory as contests move
into the south in the state-by-state battles to pick a party
presidential nominee for the November general election. Her backers
say minority voters are her "firewall" against Sanders' popularity
among young voters who dislike establishment politics and are
attracted by his vows to take on Wall Street excesses and high
college fees.
She won Nevada, which is nearly a quarter Latino, by just over 5
points.
Sanders' camp, meanwhile, has disputed Clinton camp assertions that
she drew the lion's share of the union votes in the Nevada contest,
accusing her campaign of inventing figures.
"They do have a tendency to make stuff up," Sanders' spokesman
Michael Briggs said in an email.
The American Federation of Teachers issued a press release on Monday
listing 23 unions that back Clinton.
(Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Frances Kerry)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|