Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders addressed the elephant in the room during the Democratic debate Tuesday night: Did Sanders say that a woman couldn’t win a presidential election?
The setup: A report from CNN suggested that Sanders told Warren in a private meeting in 2018 that he didn’t think a woman could win a presidential election,
At the debate: CNN moderator Abby Phillip asked the two candidates about the reports about 50 minutes into the debate.
Sanders: “Well as a matter of fact, I didn’t say it.”
Warren’s response: “I disagreed. Bernie is my friend and I am not here to try and fight with Bernie.”
Next: Warren said it was time to “attack” the question of whether or not a woman could be nominated for president. She pointed out only she and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar — the two women on stage — were the only candidates participating in the debate that have won every election they’ve participated in.
- Warren: “Look at the men on this stage. Collectively, they have lost 10 elections. The only people on this stage who have won every election they’ve been in are the women.”
- Warren: “Back in the 1960s, people asked if a Catholic could win. Back in 2008, people asked if an African-American could win. In both times, the Democratic party stepped up and said yes — got behind their candidate and we changed America. That’s who we are”
Social media: The reaction was quite high on Twitter.