With just days left before voters cast their votes in Nevada’s first-in-the-West presidential caucus on Saturday, six Democratic hopefuls descended on the Las Vegas Strip Wednesday for the ninth primary debate of the 2020 election cycle — and the first to include surging billionaire candidate and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. 

The debate comes as the race for the Democratic nomination remains in flux. A virtual tie in Iowa and a win in New Hampshire has catapulted Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders into a narrow lead, all while the moderate wing of the party continues to jockey over the chance to take on Sanders. 

But few polls have taken the pulse of Nevada voters, and those that have show wide splits between leading candidates. Coupled with a large early voting turnout and lingering questions over the implementation of new technology into the caucus process has left the race largely uncertain.

Moderators for two-hour debate were Nevada Independent Editor Jon Ralston, NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC anchor Lester Holt, Meet the Press moderator and NBC News political director Chuck Todd, NBC News Chief White House Correspondent and host of MSNBC Live Hallie Jackson and senior correspondent at Noticias Telemundo Vanessa Hauc.

Below are live updates, context and analysis of the final debate before Nevada’s presidential caucus.

9:15 p.m. - Immigrant rights activists said they disrupted debate over lack of immigration discussion

Immigrant rights activists said on Twitter that they were the ones who interrupted the Democratic debate while former Vice President Joe Biden was speaking, in part to denounce the 3 million deportations that took place under the Obama administration.

In a video, Erika Andiola and Lucia Allain of Raices Texas said they were not sorry for the disruption, which they created because immigration was “the last issue that they talked about and they didn’t even have time to talk about the issue.”

“We are being the most attacked with a Trump administration, and we deserve a conversation about how our lives are going to look like,” Andiola said.

The group said candidates’ call for “comprehensive immigration reform” is not what they’re looking for, and instead they espouse the “Migrant Justice Platform” — a series of proposed actions that includes putting a moratorium on ICE operations, ending immigration detention and creating pathways to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants.

Raices and groups including the Nevada-based Arriba Las Vegas Workers Center sent an open letter earlier this week to the Democratic National Committee calling for more discussion during the debates on immigration. They argued that the party was taking immigrants for granted.

“As the theory goes, as long as Democrats are not as punitive and racist as Republicans, they simply need to do the bare minimum in order to be the lesser of two evils,” the groups said in their letter. “Ironically, this cynical and risky strategy is what allowed trumpism to flourish in the first place.”

— Michelle Rindels

7:50 p.m. - Buttigieg criticizes Klobuchar on immigration-related Senate votes

Klobuchar and Buttigieg tussled over the issue of immigration, with the former South Bend mayor making sharp attacks against the Minnesota senator for voting to confirm Trump’s head of Custom and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan in 2018 and voting to make English the official language of the country — a vote she took in 2007.

“You know the message that sends in a multilingual state like Nevada?” Buttigieg said.

Nevada’s population is 29 percent Hispanic, 9 percent Asian and 10 percent black, according to the Census Bureau, with 19 percent of the population foreign-born.

Klobuchar bristled at the questions, saying that she had worked on numerous immigration bills during her time in Congress and Buttigieg was incorrectly judging her record.

“You have not been in the arena doing that work,” she said. “You've memorized a bunch of talking points.”

Klobuchar said her plan to protect DREAMers — people brought to the country illegally as children — was to defeat Trump and pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill.

— Riley Snyder
***

7:55 p.m. - As possible contested convention looms, all but Sanders say process should “play out”

Though just two states have cast ballots in the Democratic nomination contest, the chances that no single Democratic candidate enters the national convention with a majority of pledged delegates has quickly become a reality of the campaign. 

Should no single candidate claim a majority of delegates on the convention’s first ballot, the process will move to a contested convention, in which party leaders will pluck a consensus candidate over the course of the convention. 

The five trailing candidates — Bloomberg, Warren, Biden, Buttigieg and Klobuchar — all said the process of a contested convention should play out, and no delegates should be reassigned until that process. 

The one exception was leading candidate Sanders, who is poised to claim a plurality of pledged delegates on Super Tuesday, should current polling in states such as California hold. 

“The process includes 500 superdelegates on the second ballot so I think that the will of the people should prevail,” Sanders said, adding that the person with the most delegates should win.

— Jacob Solis
***

7:43 p.m. - The specter of socialism

Long criticized as unelectable for his self-applied moniker of democratic socialist, Sanders mounted a defense of his own ideology, criticizing the existing American economic system as one that hurts the working class and props up those with wealth — including Bloomberg. 

Bloomberg countered that he, too, believed in increased taxation on the wealthiest Americans, and largely declined to attack Sanders on his socialist ideology.

When the question pivoted to Biden, he said that “we gotta start rewarding work, not just wealth,” criticizing the corporate tax rate and largely avoiding direct criticism of Sanders. 

Buttigieg — who once authored an essay praising Sanders’ work in Congress and his acceptance of the socialist label — was then asked directly why he had changed his tune on Sanders. 

Though he said he was “into Bernie before it was cool,” he also took aim at Sanders’ single-payer style Medicare for all plan and the taxes required to support it — though not before being interrupted by Sanders, who said the plan would be replacing the price of medical costs outright. 

— Jacob Solis
***

7:37 p.m. - Should billionaires exist?

Sanders was asked about a tweet his campaign sent out last year saying that “billionaires should not exist.” Sanders defended the idea, saying that the country has a “grotesque and immoral distribution of wealth and income.”

“Mike Bloomberg owns more wealth than the bottom 125 million Americans,” he said. “That’s wrong, and that’s immoral.”

Bloomberg said billionaires should exist, and defended his immense wealth.

“I've worked very hard for it, and I'm giving it away,” he said.

Bloomberg also called Sanders’ idea to transfer a percentage of ownership of large corporations over to their employees “ridiculous,” and said that conversations like those would help re-elect Trump. 

Sanders said that Bloomberg did not earn the entirety of his wealth through his own work.

“It wasn’t you who made all that money,” he said. “Maybe your workers made some of that as well.”

“You know, Mr. Bloomberg, maybe it wasn’t you who made all that money,” he said. “Maybe your workers played a part in that as well."

— Riley Snyder

***

7:31 p.m. - Warren says ‘corruption’ in Washington, D.C,, filibuster slows climate action

Asked about climate change, Warren said that “corruption” in Washington D.C., the power of the fossil fuel industry, and the filibuster in the Senate — a rule that requires 60 votes for many actions — was slowing movement on an issue that all of the candidates agreed was an immediate threat. 

Warren and Sanders both support bans on hydraulic fracturing to tap into natural gas.

Klobuchar, who has called natural gas a “transition fuel,” said that climate change was a crisis — and supported policies including a price on carbon with revenues returned as a dividend to those struggling to pay their bills. But she also stressed the need to bring groups together.  

In response to a question about how workers would be affected by proposed moratoriums on fracking, Warren said a Green New Deal could help create new jobs. She also called for swift action, saying Klobuchar’s point was that “we have to think smaller” to pass climate legislation.

Earlier in the debate, Warren weighed in on mining, an economic driver in rural Nevada. 

“I think we should stop all new drilling and mining on public lands and all offshore drilling,” she said, responding to a question about how she would balance her priority — to tackle climate change — with the need for certain minerals, such as copper and lithium, to transition from fossil fuels. 

Warren said if exceptions need to be made for specific minerals, they should be mined “not in a way that just is about the profits of giant industries” but in a way that is “sustainable.”

— Daniel Rothberg
***

7:20 p.m. - Candidates say they won’t raise taxes on small businesses

When asked about the reticence of small business owners — and especially Latino small business owners — to pay higher taxes in the wake of the Trump tax cuts that reduced their tax bills, the moderates on stage promised not to raise taxes on small businesses, looking instead to shift the tax burden toward the wealthy and the largest corporations. 

That included Biden, who said policy should allow small businesses to “garner wealth,” and Buttigieg, who criticized Amazon and Chevron for not paying federal corporate taxes. 

Warren, however, took aim at racial gaps among small business owners, saying that “we want to have real entrepreneurship and [a] level playing field.”

Among U.S. metros, Las Vegas far exceeds the national average for Latino-owned small business. According to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and research firm Claritas, roughly 37 percent of Las Vegas businesses were Hispanic-owned, compared to less than 19 percent nationally. 

— Jacob Solis
***

6:54 p.m. - Klobuchar responds after forgetting name of Mexican president in interview

Klobuchar apologized for a recent Telemundo interview in which she could not name the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, saying it was a period of “momentary forgetfulness” that didn’t reflect “what I know about Mexico and how much I care about it.”

“I made an error,” Klobuchar said. “I think having a president who maybe is humble and is able to admit that here and there wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

Buttgieg criticized Klobuchar for not knowing the name, saying it was more than trivia and that she should know as she is “staking her candidacy on Washington experience.” He had correctly named the Mexican president in a separate interview.

“Are you trying to say that I’m dumb?” she responded.

Warren came to Klobuchar’s defense.

“Missing a name all by itself does not indicate you do not understand what’s going on.”

— Riley Snyder

***

6:50 p.m. - Bloomberg declines to release people from non-disclosure agreements

When Bloomberg was asked about the number of sexual harassment and discrimination allegations that have received renewed attention in the wake of his presidential bid, he countered that his company was named one of the best to work in the country. 

But that answer did little to satisfy Warren, who criticized Bloomberg’s use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to shield his organization from criticism and challenged Bloomberg to release the women in question from those NDAs.  

“I hope you heard what his defense was: I’ve been nice to some women,” Warren said. “We need to know what’s lurking out there.”

Bloomberg sought to minimize the issue, saying that his company has “very few non-disclosure agreements. None of them accuse me of doing anything other than maybe they didn’t like a joke I told.”

But whether or not Bloomberg would release those NDAs, he said, would be “up to them.”

Warren, and later Biden, continued to challenge him, pressing the billionaire on how many women were bound to such agreements.

“We are not going to beat Donald Trump with a man who has who knows how many non-disclosure agreements, and the drip-drip-drip of stories of women who say they have been harassed,” she said “That’s not what we do as Democrats.” 

— Jacob Solis

***

6:42 p.m. - Bloomberg on not releasing tax returns: “I can’t go to TurboTax”

Facing criticism for not releasing his tax returns, Bloomberg said that “it just takes us a long time. Fortunately I make a lot of money and we do business all around the world.”

He said his tax returns would probably span thousands of pages, noting he “can’t go to TurboTax.”

Klobuchar retorted that she “could probably go to TurboTax,” saying she was watching her husband, who prepares their tax returns, in the front row as Bloomberg answered the question. 

“I don’t care how much money anyone has,” Klobuchar said. “I think it’s great you got a lot of money, but I think you’ve got to come forward with your tax returns.”

— Daniel Rothberg

***

6:40 p.m. - Sanders’ health called into questions after stay in Vegas hospital in October  

Asked about his health after suffering a heart attack in Las Vegas in October, Sanders said he had released various letters and analysis from leading Vermont cardiologists, and that he was “more than able” to deal with the stress and vigor of being president.

Sanders praised the care he got at a Las Vegas hospital during his stay.

Buttigieg said he would be willing to take a physical if elected president and challenged other candidates to do the same. He also used the question to attack the cost of Sanders’ Medicare for all proposal, saying the total cost was extravagant. 

— Riley Snyder

***

6:35 p.m. - Bloomberg “embarrassed” by legacy of stop-and-frisk

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg looked to shift blame on his controversial policing policy of stop-and-frisk, apologizing for its use and saying that its implementation was meant as a means to address serious crime issues plaguing New York. 

But Bloomberg has only recently sought to apologize for his ardent support of the program, which at its peak had stopped more than 685,000 people in 2011 alone. 

The other Democrats on stage seized on the issue, with Biden criticizing Bloomberg for ignoring the opinions of Obama-era Justice Department officials and Warren calling his apologies insufficient.  

“It targeted communities of color, it targeted black and brown men from the beginning,” Warren said. “The apology has to start with the intent of the plan as it was put together.”

For his part, Bloomberg said no candidate was perfect on criminal justice. 

“If we took everyone on this panel who was wrong on criminal justice at some point in their career off this panel, there’d be nobody left up here,” Bloomberg said. 

— Jacob Solis

***

6:29 p.m. Barbs over healthcare plans

Warren took shots at the health insurance plans of her primary opponents, saying Buttigieg’s plan was developed by “consultants” and more of a PowerPoint than a plan. She said Klobuchar’s plan was like a “Post-It Note” and said that while Sanders’ started with a good plan, his advisers “relentlessly attack anyone who asks a question” about implementation.

Klobochar, who opposes Medicare for all, defended her plan, summarizing it as a public option and saying it was “what Barack Obama wanted to do from the very beginning.” 

Buttigieg deadpanned that he’s more of a “Microsoft Word” guy, and said his plan was supported by a majority of Americans. 

Biden touted his work with President Barack Obama on creating Obamacare.

“I’m the only one on this stage who actually got anything done on health care,” Biden said, criticizing Bloomberg for his earlier opposition to the Affordable Care Act. Bloomberg said he supported a public option and rules about capping charges, saying “we shouldn't just walk away and start something new that is untried.”

— Riley Snyder

***

6:12 p.m. - Buttigieg, attacking Sanders, says he is “at war with the Culinary Union” 

Buttigieg, after taking aim at Sanders and Bloomberg in the first few minutes of the debate, said that Democrats do not want a choice “between one candidate who wants to burn this party down and another candidate that wants to buy this party out.”

When asked by a moderator if he was polarizing, Sanders said: “If speaking to the needs and the pain of a long-neglected working class is polarizing, I think you’ve got the wrong word,” 

The exchange only got more testy from there. 

Buttigieg said Sanders was not the only candidate who cared about workers and took a big swipe at him, saying he was “the one that is at war with the Culinary Union right here in Las Vegas.” 

While the Culinary Union did not endorse a candidate, it issued warnings to members that Sanders’ Medicare for all plan could take away their hard-fought health plan. The Culinary Health Fund serves nearly 55,000 participants and their 70,000 dependents, for a total of 125,000 people.

“We have more support than you have ever dreamed of,” Sanders responded. “We have support of unions all across this country.”

— Daniel Rothberg

***

6:22 p.m. - Candidates take early aim at Bloomberg, call him ‘arrogant billionaire’

Wednesday marked the first debate for former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and his fellow candidates did not wear their kid gloves.

The first question of the debate went to Sanders, who criticized Bloomberg’s embrace of “stop and frisk” policies that he called “outrageous” and not a way to grow voter turnout.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren also took early aim at Bloomberg, saying he had called women “fat broads” in the past, had a history of hiding tax returns and harassing women.

“I’ll support whoever the Democratic nominee is,” she said, “But understand this: Democrats take a huge risk if we substitute one arrogant billionaire for another.”

Bloomberg said he did not think that “there’s any chance” Sanders could beat Trump, and said he was best prepared to beat the incumbent president.

Pete Buttigieg said the party needed to put forward someone who’s “actually a Democrat.”

— Riley Snyder

***

6:15 p.m. - With major early vote turnout, who is this debate for? 

Moments before the debate began, the Nevada State Democratic Party announced that nearly 75,000 people cast an early vote ahead of this weekend’s caucus. It was the state’s first ever attempt at early voting during a caucus, and turnout numbers nearly matched total turnout from the 2016 caucus, which drew 84,000 people in a one-day, in-person event. 

It remains a far cry from the caucus turnout record from 2008, when roughly 118,000 Nevada Democrats caucused, but the early vote totals raise questions over just how many Nevadans will still caucus on Feb. 22. 

Those questions have driven uncertainty over just how much the next three days — including tonight’s debate — could possibly shift the needle in the race to win Nevada. 

— Jacob Solis