That’s The Bell For A Debate That Felt Like A Vegas Boxing Match

Tonight’s Democratic debate in Las Vegas was as contentious as expected.

With Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg often leading the attacks, and with billionaire and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg facing withering criticisms from rivals, the six candidates held a sharp-elbowed contest that reflected the higher stakes of this phase of the primary.

Next up: more voting.

Nevada’s caucuses are Saturday, with polls showing Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in a strong position. Sanders, who has led recent national surveys as well, came in first in the most recent nominating contest, in New Hampshire, and was in a virtual tie with Buttigieg for first in Iowa.

But the Democrats won’t have the Silver State to themselves these next few days. President Trump is in Nevada tomorrow for a ceremony at a nonprofit that helps people reenter society after incarceration, and then he hosts a campaign rally — the latest in his counterprogramming efforts to steal some of the Democratic primary’s spotlight.

Bloomberg, of course, is not on the ballot in Nevada. He heads to Utah tomorrow morning for a campaign event, with the race set to quickly become national as more than a dozen states vote on Super Tuesday, now in less than two weeks.

To catch up on the moments — and jabs — you missed, read on below. Also make sure you check out NPR.org later on for debate takeaways from our Domenico Montanaro, and you can listen to a recap of the evening from the NPR Politics Podcast crew.