The Democratic debate in Charleston, South Carolina provided a few sparks but no surprises as the battle between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders intensifies just two weeks before the Iowa caucus.
Clinton embraced Obama’s domestic and foreign policies while Sanders defended his positions on health care, gun control, and campaign finance reform with a focus on Clinton’s close ties with Wall Street. Looking forlorn, Martin O’Malley kept asking for an additional 30 seconds to respond to a topic which NBC moderators, Lester Holt and Andrea Mitchell, promptly denied.
A crowd favorite was Clinton’s cryptic answer about her interaction with Russian President Putin:
Clinton: My relationship with Putin is 'interesting' #DemDebate https://t.co/xf1VM3urm3 — NBC News (@NBCNews) January 18, 2016
And because I’m appreciative of giving good side-eye, here’s a look at Sanders’ reaction to one of Hillary’s comments:
This isn’t over – not by a long shot.
The GOP candidates go head-to-head in Iowa on January 28th – just days before the caucus on February 1.