After a heated Democratic debate on Tuesday, which CBS News reports saw the rest of the field attempt to stop Bernie Sanders ‘ momentum, Chris Christie stopped by The Late Show and talked to Stephen Colbert about the Vermont Senator’s performance.
According to Christie, the debate did not affect the Vermont senator, per New Jersey Local News .
“The great thing about Bernie is that they were basically calling him a Castro-loving commie tonight. He said like, ‘OK, all right, I am. Now let’s talk about Medicare for all. He doesn’t care. He hasn’t cared for 30 years.”
When pressed on why Christie believes Sanders is currently leading the race for the Democratic nomination, he pointed to the senator’s platform.
“He’s one of the only people up there who’s actually talking about ideas,” he said.
When Colbert suggested that Elizabeth Warren is also talking about the ideas that Sanders pushes, the former governor of New Jersey disagreed with the host’s suggestion. According to Christie, Warren backed away from the progressive ideas that gained her support, and her decision has placed her in a negative light in both the eyes of “real progressives” and “moderates.”
As CBS News reported, a nationwide poll of Democratic debate watchers showed that viewers believe Sanders was the candidate who made the best case to defeat Donald Trump in November. Another survey revealed that the Vermont lawmaker impressed observers the most of all candidates, with former Vice President Joe Biden in second and Warren in third.
Speaking on a debate panel after the event, Sanders said that his platform, which pushes for Medicare for All and free child care, claimed his proposals are not radical as his opponents suggest.
“The truth is, nothing I am saying is radical,” he said, pointing to similar programs in Canada that have been successful.
Writing for The Hill , Abraham Unger said he believes that Sanders won the debate thanks to his “overall message of social equality,” which he called “clear” and “of the moment.”
“All the other candidates somehow seemed anachronistic, like talking heads from the 1990s, discussing their competence, but none had a message. “
As of now, Sanders appears on track to secure the nomination. He became the first presidential candidate of any party to win the popular vote in the first three early-voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada. In addition, he passed Biden in black voter support in a post-Nevada Morning Consult poll. However, new South Carolina polling shows a possible bounce-back for rival Biden.
