GOFFSTOWN, N.H. — Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersSenate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll Schumer, Sanders call for Senate panel to address election security MORE (I-Vt.) is casting Democratic rival Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegBogeymen of the far left deserve a place in any Biden administration Overnight Defense: Woodward book causes new firestorm | Book says Trump lashed out at generals, told Woodward about secret weapons system | US withdrawing thousands of troops from Iraq A socially and environmentally just way to fight climate change MORE as the preferred candidate of the billionaire class as polls show the former South Bend, Ind., mayor surging in New Hampshire and catching up to Sanders ahead of next week's primary.

Speaking on Friday at Saint Anselm College, Sanders read a list of news headlines about how Buttigieg has raised the most money from billionaires and described him as the favorite candidate for Wall Street donors.

“I like Pete Buttigieg, nice guy, but we are in a moment where billionaires control not only our economy but our political process,” Sanders said.

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“Do you think if you’re collecting money from dozens of dozens of billionaires you’re going to stand up to the drug companies and you’re going to throw their CEOs in jail if they’re acting criminally? ... Do you think that’s going to happen?” he added.

Sanders's remarks were made to a group of local party leaders, businesspeople and students who gathered to hear him speak at the traditional Politics and Eggs breakfast, a must-stop for all White House hopefuls.

A spokesman for Buttigieg responded by pointing to comments the candidate made Thursday on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone ColbertWhite House officials deny Trump bears responsibility for social unrest Pelosi questions level of Trump 'responsibility' after 'brazen' shooting of Wisconsin protesters Susan Rice: Trump 'is a liar and the whole world knows it' MORE."

"I will make exactly one promise to anybody, whether they're giving three bucks online or the maximum allowable by law, and the promise is I'm going to take that contribution and I'm going to use it to build the campaign that's going to defeat Donald Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE so that we can actually get the reforms that this country needs," Buttigieg said.

The new attacks from Sanders come as polls find the two candidates locked in a close race in New Hampshire ahead of Friday’s debate and Tuesday’s primary.

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The Iowa caucuses are still too close to call and the state party’s bungling of the data has made the race difficult to analyze, but it appears that Sanders will win the popular vote and split the delegate haul with Buttigieg, who outperformed spectacularly in the first-in-the-nation caucus state.

Buttigieg’s Iowa showing has given him a burst of momentum in New Hampshire, where the latest Boston Globe-Suffolk University daily tracking poll finds him catching Sanders and pulling into a statistical tie.

Updated at 1:36 p.m.