Clinton, Sanders campaigns agree to add New Hampshire debate

Democrat Bernie Sanders called it a tossup with Hillary Clinton and said every caucus-goer counts.

But the Vermont senator now also has the sheen of a contender.

Clinton didn’t mention him by name here Saturday, but she urged Iowa voters to make guns “a voting issue” and to insist on reasonable rules about who should be able to buy them.

The Vermont senator and self-described democratic socialist said “the eyes of America, in fact much of the world” would be on Iowa, and the state could be a model for the future of American democracy. Bernie Sanders making their last pitches to voters. It also cast doubt on Sanders’ ability to enact several of his key policies, including breaking up large banks and creating a Medicare-for-all health care plan.

The polls by Bloomberg News and the Des Moines Register put Ms Clinton leading Mr Sanders, 45 percent to 42 percent. “That has never been in doubt, unless you’re a paid lobbyist for the gun lobby”, she said. I have a 100 percent voting record for Planned Parenthood. Clinton’s campaign headquarters are in Brooklyn. Mrs. Clinton has repeatedly drawn attention to what she and others characterize as outrageous treatment of vulnerable residents. He has recently agreed to co-sponsor legislation that would rescind that immunity and allow shooting victims to file suit.

In July, the campaign accused the paper of “egregious” errors and the “apparent abandonment of standard journalistic practices” after initially claiming that federal inspectors general had requested a criminal investigation into Clinton’s email use during her tenure at the State Department.

“So yeah, my opponent can brag about raising tens of millions of dollars for her super PAC, but our average contribution is $27. I’m very proud of that”, he said. Campaigns worked aggressively to set those expectations in their favor (meaning, lower them) for Iowa, next-up New Hampshire and beyond. Martin O’Malley is placed in a lowly position with just 3 percent.

For Democrats, Sanders scored best on the often-critical question of which candidate they thought most cared about them, beating Clinton on that score 51 percent to 37 percent.

The poll is considered by pundits to be one of the most accurate, based on recent years.

Selzer & Co. conducted The Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll of 602 likely GOP caucus-goers from January 26-29.

“It’s virtually tied”, Sanders said, a reasonable summation of polls.

But is the Sanders surge sufficiently intense to motivate eligible voters to leave their homes Monday evening in frigid temperatures, drive to caucus sites, deliver stump speeches, and hold firm to their candidate? “And that candidate is Hillary Clinton”.

“It’s sad and telling that their campaign doesn’t think they can win without these kinds of tactics”, said Rania Batrice, Sanders’s Iowa spokesperson.

Part of his appeal has been cultivated by comedian Larry David’s portrayal of Sanders on “Saturday Night Live” as a blunt, cranky politician screaming of revolution.

“We need godly wisdom back in the White House”, Cruz supporter Pam Cobb said at a Cruz rally in Ida Grove, in northwest Iowa. A surrogate or volunteer from each campaign may speak to their neighbors in a last-ditch plea for support, adding to the uncertainty going into the process.

“We want their voices to be heard in this campaign, and holding a debate in Flint would go a long way toward achieving that goal”.

On Saturday, Clinton indirectly accused Republicans of being behind the disclosure three days before the Iowa caucuses, or at least fanning the political flames over the issue. “Uou know what, I would rather be on our side than their side”.