DES MOINES, Iowa — Following Tuesday night’s Democratic debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders’s campaign came out swinging against Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
When asked in the spin room about Warren’s claim that she was the only Democrat running for president who has defeated a Republican incumbent in the last 30 years, the Vermont senator’s campaign co-chairwoman replied with some of the harshest language his camp has used so far in their ongoing feud.
“I know 30 years ago she was a Republican,” said former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner.
Warren, born in 1949, was a registered Republican until 1996 when she formally changed parties. It was her study of family bankruptcy, Warren likes to say, that made her rethink her personal political ideology.
During the debate, both Warren, 70, and Sanders, 78, traded barbs over a controversy surrounding their supposed conversation over whether a woman could ever secure the Oval Office and who was the most electable candidate.
On Monday, a report broke that Sanders told Warren he did not believe a woman could win in a general presidential election in 2018. Sanders denied the report, while Warren insisted the conversation did take place.
“Well, as a matter of fact, I didn’t say it,” Sanders said when asked about the report during the debate. “And I don’t want to waste a whole lot of time on this, because this is what Donald Trump and maybe some of the media want.”
Later in the night, Sanders challenged Warren over her claim that she was the only candidate to beat an incumbent Republican in the last 30 years.
“Just to set the record straight, I defeated an incumbent Republican running for Congress,” Sanders said.
Warren replied: “30 years ago. Wasn’t that 30 years ago?” before adding, “And I said, I was the only one who’s beaten an incumbent Republican in 30 years.”
The debate ended on a sour note between the two, with Warren refusing to shake Sanders’s hand at its conclusion. Businessman Tom Steyer, who accidentally interrupted the exchange, later told the press, “You could see it’s an awkward moment.”
