Elizabeth Warren took Bernie Sanders head-on over his alleged comment that a woman could not beat Donald Trump, saying she had never lost an election, unlike the men on the debate stage.

In the final televised debate before voting begins in the race for the Democratic nomination, Ms Warren leaned into a row with fellow left-winger Mr Sanders about a comment he is reported to have made in a private meeting between the pair in December 2018.

Video footage also appeared to show Ms Warren declining to shake hands with Mr Sanders as they exchanged words after the debate.

The dispute brought to the fore the concerns among some Democratic voters that sexism played a role in Mr Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Asked about the claims during Tuesday night's debate, Mr Sanders strongly rebuked the claims saying: "I didn’t say it... Does anybody in their right mind think a woman can't be elected president? Of course a woman can win."