Democratic presidential hopefuls clash in New Hampshire debate
US Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have clashed sharply over a range of issues as they appear in their first one-on-one televised debate.
Clinton mounted a sharp attack on Bernie Sanders Thursday, accusing her Democratic challenger for the White House of smear tactics and warning his promises of political revolution "don't add up."
Clinton called Bernie Sanders an idealist who cannot get things done.
The 90-minute debate at the University of New Hampshire in the small college town of Durham comes three days after Clinton clinched the narrowest victory in Iowa caucus history against Sanders and five days before the first state primary in the 2016 election process.
Sanders, the 74-year-old independent senator from neighboring Vermont, leads by 20 points in the latest New Hampshire polls with a campaign that outstripped the Clinton fundraising machine in January.
Sanders, who identifies as a democratic socialist - unique for a US presidential candidate -- hammered home his opposition to what he believes is the corrosive power of Wall Street on American democracy.
He attacked Clinton, saying she cannot claim to be both a moderate and a progressive, criticizing her for raising $15 million from Wall Street - prompting some of the night's sharpest exchanges.
"Enough is enough," said Clinton after listing her record on racial injustice, children's rights and fight to widen American access to healthcare, AFP reported.
"I don't think these attacks are worthy of you," she told Sanders.
"I think it's time to end the very artful smear that you and your campaign have been carrying out in recent weeks," she added.
An NBC, Wall Street Journal, Marist poll released hours before the debate gave Sanders 58 percent support among likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire and Clinton 38 percent.
Sanders leads the former first lady among voters aged 18-29 by 76 to 24 percent, the poll found. Republicans are also swarming to New Hampshire for the crucial February 9 vote, with Donald Trump eager to reclaim the lead after he was beaten in Iowa by arch-conservative Senator Ted Cruz.
US Election Day: First votes cast in New Hampshire
US intensifies security measures amid anticipated post-election unrest
Russia rejects 'baseless' US claims of producing fake vote videos
UNRWA warns of humanitarian collapse in Gaza
'Hello my enemies': Lebanese journalist on Israeli threats and his resolve to continue
Outrage in France as MP proposes bill to ban criticism of Israel
VIDEO | The strategy of Hezbollah in war
Israeli military withdraws several brigades from southern Lebanon: Report
48-year-old Palestinian man serving 48 life terms completes 22 years in Israeli jails
From MKO to Tondar, how Germany became safe haven for anti-Iran terror groups
Hamas open to any proposal aiming to end Gaza war: Hamdan
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
