KEY POINTS

  • There are 12 remaining Democratic candidates but only six met criteria to qualify for the debate set by the Democratic National Committee
  • The debate is hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register, which will be airing and streaming the event
  • The latest RealClearPolitics polls give Biden an edge over the other contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination

As six of the remaining Democratic presidential contenders prepared for the final debate Tuesday ahead of the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders found themselves at odds over whether a woman could capture the presidency.

Warren, Sanders, Sen. Amy Klobochar, former Vice President Joe Biden, South Bend (Indiana) Mayor Pete Buttigieg and billionaire Tom Steyer were to meet at 9 p.m. EST for the seventh debate since June at Drake University in Des Moines in an event hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register.

The debate will air on CNN, CNN en Español and CNN International, or watch by signing up for a free trial on fuboTV. It also will be streamed by the Des Moines Register. On mobile phones, the debates will be available on the CNN and Des Moines Register apps, and cord cutters can watch on CNNgo.

Six candidates did not meet the Democratic National Committee’s criteria to qualify for Tuesday’s debate: former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, businessman Andrew Yang, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former Rep. John Delaney, Sen. Michael Bennet and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

Three debates are scheduled for February, on the 7th in Manchester, New Hampshire, the 19th in Las Vegas and the 25th in Charleston, South Carolina, ahead of the first in the nation New Hampshire primary (Feb. 11), Nevada caucuses (Feb. 22), South Carolina primary (Feb. 29) and Super Tuesday (March 3).

Tuesday night’s debate comes amid controversy over remarks Warren said Sanders made regarding a female candidate. Warren said Sanders told her in a private 2018 conversation he did not think a woman could win the presidency – something Sanders vehemently denied.

“It’s sad that, three weeks before the Iowa caucus and a year after that private conversation, staff who weren’t in the room are lying about what happened,” Sanders said. “Do I believe a woman can win in 2020? Of course! After all, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 3 million votes in 2016.”

Warren responded Monday night: “Among the topics that came up was what would happen if Democrats nominated a female candidate. I thought a woman could win; he disagreed.”

Warren attempted to change the subject Tuesday, releasing her plan for tackling student debt, which in the summer was pegged at $1.5 trillion.

“We’re facing a student loan crisis -- one that’s holding back our economy and crushing millions of American families,” Warren said in announcing her plan, which she estimates would wipe out 95% of the debt, offering relief to 42 million Americans. She said she also would direct the secretary of education to rein in for-profit colleges and crack down on predatory lenders.

Warren, Sanders and Buttigieg all have said they support free college educations while Steyer has said students should graduate without debt, and Biden and Klobuchar have said something else needs to be done. Sanders supports canceling all existing student debt while Warren would base cancellation on income and the other candidates would look for other ways to alleviate the burden.

The latest RealClearPolitics polls indicate Biden is the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination.

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