Bernie Sanders drew blood against Hillary Clinton in Thursday night's Democratic debate, winning his exchange with Clinton over Wall Street and her coziness with the financial sector.

A slim majority of Democrats and most Republican members of The POLITICO Caucus – a panel of top operatives and activists in the early nominating states -- said the Vermont senator got the better of Clinton when the debate turned in the first hour to his critiques of Wall Street and large financial institutions.

Part of the credit he received from insiders was due to his passionate and articulate handling of the issue, but much of it was due to criticism of Clinton’s response to questions from MSNBC moderators Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow about her paid speeches -- including Clinton’s acceptance of large speaking fees from firms like Goldman Sachs.


“Wall Street is Clinton's weakest point as a candidate,” said one New Hampshire Democrat, who, like all the insiders, responded to the survey anonymously. “How can she not have good answers after all these years?”

“These speaking fees are quickly supplanting the email controversy as her Achilles heel,” added a Nevada Democrat. “All her responses fail to adequately address the issue.”

“Hillary had an okay answer,” another Nevada Democrat agreed, “but you can tell she still looks uncomfortable delivering it.”

Some Democratic insiders said while that part of the debate was fought on Sanders’ terrain, he failed to make the connection that Clinton would do the bidding of the moneyed interests he rails against.

“When you boil this down to the basic question of whether she has delivered anything for these fees/contribution, it becomes clear that there is no ‘there’ there,” said a New Hampshire Democrat. “His attack falls apart when you discuss it beyond sound bites.”

“MSNBC was transparently trying to get Bernie and Hillary to attack each other the way Republican candidates do,” a Nevada Democrat added. “Clinton won because she didn't hesitate to hit back. She should have hit harder, however, and demanded Bernie outright say he thinks she can be bought, rather than letting him continue to insinuate it on the margins.”

Other key takeaways from the fifth Democratic primary debate Thursday night:

Clinton dinged Sanders during the blockbuster first segment.

The debate opened with a lengthy back-and-forth over each candidate’s record and identity as a “progressive” – an exchange nearly two-thirds of Democratic insiders thought Clinton won because she went on the offensive.

“She finally called him out and when confronted with all the passive attacks he's been waging against her, he was clearly uncomfortable defending that garbage,” said one New Hampshire Democrat.

Added another: “Hillary refused to let him frame the debate on who gets to be a progressive. He wasn't expecting it, and was on his heels for much of that exchange. It was particularly brutal when she ticked off the various votes he's made over the years on guns and other issues which are decidedly not progressive.”

And a third New Hampshire Democrat said Clinton “hammered home the point that she is the progressive who can get things done.”

But some disagreed, arguing that Sanders was steady and believable during this discussion, and Clinton seemed less authentic.

“Bernie is continually on offense, because it is a) what he loves to talk about, and b) very genuine. It is why he is running,” said a New Hampshire Democrat. “Hillary is the ultimate pragmatist trying to explain that she can be a progressive.”

And a Nevada Democrat said any discussion about being a progressive favors Sanders because “Bernie gets cred by having been born as one. Hillary gets credit for coming around and progressing to it.”

Democrats say Sanders would be an electoral disaster.

Asked by Maddow later in the debate if his nomination would lead to a landslide defeat like Barry Goldwater in 1964 or George McGovern in 1972, Sanders said his campaign would expand the electorate and not only carry him to the White House, but bring Democratic Senate and gubernatorial candidates along on his coattails.

Democratic insiders surveyed Thursday night disagreed -- to put it mildly. Roughly two-thirds said Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, would lose handily to the Republican nominee.

The “S word” loomed especially large in insiders’ minds.

“Socialist,” said one New Hampshire Democrat. “The GOP will have us thinking our 401(k) plans are all going to crash and we will be living under bridges huddled around camp fires.”

“At some point he's got to convince the average Joe that it's ok to elect a 73-year-old socialist,” a South Carolina Democrat said.

Some Democrats pointed to Republican attacks on Clinton in the primary as evidence the GOP knows Sanders is the more beatable nominee.

“Of course! This is complete insanity,” agreed another. “The Republicans know it too, and that's why they are unabashed about boosting Bernie and spending millions and millions trying to make sure he is the nominee. It's not rocket science.”

Some Democrats admitted that Sanders’ answer to the electability question was affecting their ability to support the Vermont senator.

“He wouldn't lose in a landslide, but I no longer feel confident he can win a general election,” said one New Hampshire Democrat. “I don't see him able to build the kind of coalition he needs to win.”

“I agree with everything Bernie says, but he has yet to convince me that he could win a general election,” a South Carolina Democrat said. “That is the one and only reason I am not supporting him … yet.”

These are the members of The POLITICO Caucus, not all of whom participated in this post-debate survey:

New Hampshire: Charlie Arlinghaus, Arnie Arnesen, Patrick Arnold, Rich Ashooh, Dean Barker, Juliana Bergeron, D.J. Bettencourt, Michael Biundo, Ray Buckley, Peter Burling, Jamie Burnett, Debby Butler, Dave Carney, Jackie Cilley, Catherine Corkery, Garth Corriveau, Fergus Cullen, Lou D’Allesandro, James Demers, Mike Dennehy, Sean Downey, Steve Duprey, JoAnn Fenton, Jennifer Frizzell, Martha Fuller Clark, Amanda Grady Sexton, Jack Heath, Gary Hirshberg, Jennifer Horn, Peter Kavanaugh, Joe Keefe, Rich Killion, Harrell Kirstein, Sylvia Larsen, Joel Maiola, Kate Malloy Corriveau, Maureen Manning, Steve Marchand, Tory Mazzola, Jim Merrill, Jayne Millerick, Claira Monier, Greg Moore, Matt Mowers, Terie Norelli, William O’Brien, Chris Pappas, Liz Purdy, Tom Rath, Colin Reed, Jim Rubens, Andy Sanborn, Dante Scala, William Shaheen, Stefany Shaheen, Carol Shea-Porter, Terry Shumaker, Andy Smith, Craig Stevens, Kathy Sullivan, Chris Sununu, James Sununu, Jay Surdukowski, Donna Sytek, Karen Testerman, Kari Thurman, Colin Van Ostern, Deb Vanderbeek, Mike Vlacich, Ryan Williams, Ethan Zorfas

Nevada: Adam Khan, Andres Ramirez, Andrew Diss, Barbara Buckley, Bob Cavazos, Brendan Summers, Chip Evans, Chuck Muth, Dan Hart, Daniel Stewart, Ed Williams, Emmy Ruiz, Erven T. Nelson, Greg Bailor, Heidi Wixom, Jack St. Martin, James Smack, Jay Gertsema, Jeremy Hughes, Jim DeGraffenreid, Jon Ralston, Kristen Orthman, Laura Martin, Linda Cavazos, Lindsey Jydstrup, Mac Abrams, Mari St. Martin, Marla Turner, Megan Jones, Michael McDonald, Michelle White, Mike Slanker, Neal Patel, Nick Phillips, Oscar Goodman, Pat Hickey, Paul Smith, Pete Ernaut, Peter Koltak, Riley Sutton, Robert Uithoven, Roberta Lange, Ryan Erwin, Ryan Hamilton, Sam Lieberman, Scott Scheid, Yvanna Cancela, Zach Hudson

South Carolina: Andrew Collins, Antjuan Seawright, Barry Wynn, Bob McAlister, Boyd Brown, Brady Quirk-Garvan, Bruce Haynes, Catherine Templeton, Chad Connelly, Chip Felkel, Cindy Costa, Clay Middleton, David Wilkins, Dick Harpootlian, Donna Hicks, Drea Byars, Ed McMullen, Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, Ellen Weaver, Erin McKee, Gary R. Smith, Glenn McCall, Inez Tenenbaum, Isaiah Nelson, Jaime R. Harrison, James Smith, Jason Perkey, Jay W. Ragley, Jim Hodges, Jimmy Williams, Joe Erwin, Joel Sawyer, John Brisini, Kevin Bishop, Kim Wellman, Laurin Manning, Le Frye, Luke Byars, Matt Moore, Mikee Johnson, Morgan Allison, Phil Noble, Scott Farmer, Tony Denny, Trey Walker, Tyler Jones, Walter Whetsell, Warren Tompkins, Will Folks

Iowa: Tim Albrecht, Brad Anderson, Rob Barron, Jeff Boeyink, Bonnie Campbell, Dave Caris, Sam Clovis, Sara Craig, Jerry Crawford, John Davis, Steve Deace, John Deeth, Derek Eadon, Ed Failor Jr., Karen Fesler, David Fischer, Doug Gross, Steve Grubbs, Tim Hagle, Bob Haus, Joe Henry, Drew Ivers, Jill June, Lori Jungling, Jeff Kaufmann, Brian Kennedy, Jake Ketzner, David Kochel, Chris Larimer, Chuck Larson, Jill Latham, Jeff Link, Dave Loebsack, Mark Lucas, Liz Mathis, Jan Michelson, Chad Olsen, David Oman, Matt Paul, Marlys Popma, Troy Price, Christopher Rants, Kim Reem, Craig Robinson, Sam Roecker, David Roederer, Richard S. Rogers, Nick Ryan, Matt Schultz, Tamara Scott, Joni Scotter, Karen Slifka, John Smith, AJ Spiker, Norm Sterzenbach, John Stineman, Matt Strawn, Phil Valenziano, Jessica Vanden Berg, Nate Willems, Eric Woolson, Grant Young

Kristen Hayford contributed to this report.