(CNN) Joe Biden had a simple message for New Hampshire voters in Friday night's presidential debate: Nominate Bernie Sanders and the presidency isn't the only thing you'll lose.

"Well, you know, you know that -- with regard to Senator Sanders, the President wants very much to stick a label on every candidate," Biden said of how President Donald Trump would approach running against the Vermont senator. "We're going to not only have to win this time, we have to bring along the United States Senate. And Bernie's labeled himself, not me, a democratic socialist. I think that's the label that the President's going to lay on everyone running with Bernie, if he's a nominee."

Later Biden hit that theme again in regard to federal judges:

"And that's why, as -- as you all look at it up here in New Hampshire and around the world -- excuse me, around the country -- you have to ask yourself, 'Who is most likely to help get a senator elected in North Carolina, Georgia? Who can win Florida, Pennsylvania, Minnesota? Who can do that?'"

And then again toward the end of the debate, Biden went back to this idea: "You've got to be able to not just win. You've got to bring along a United States Senate, or this becomes moot."

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