Sanders Will Be at Center of Debate Stage: Campaign Update

(Bloomberg) -- Bernie Sanders will take center stage at Tuesday night’s Democratic debate, literally.

The Vermont senator will be standing smack in the middle of the seven candidates at the South Carolina event, thanks to the odd number of contenders and Joe Biden’s flagging fortunes.

It will be the first debate without Biden at center due to his slip in national polls. Sanders will be flanked by the former vice president him and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who have both given indications they’re going to hit the front-runner hard.

Like two warring teens who had to be moved to separate corners of the classroom, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar will be on either end of Warren and Biden.

Finally, on the two outer edges of the stage are the billionaires: former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and hedge fund manager Tom Steyer.

(Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)

Sanders Can’t Be on Florida Ballot, Suit Says (4:30 p.m.)

Two Democrats are trying to get Bernie Sanders thrown off the Florida Democratic primary ballot. The reason? Technically, he’s not a Democrat.

In a long-shot lawsuit filed Monday in Leon Circuit Court, registered Democrats Frank Bach and George Brown argue that allowing Sanders to participate in the March 17 race amounts to “unlawful participation as an independent interloping improperly” and will dilute their votes for card-carrying Democrats.

Florida holds closed primaries, limiting participation to voters registered as members of a party. The lawsuit points out that Sanders has registered to run for re-election to the Senate in 2024 as an independent.

Listed as defendants are Sanders, the state and national Democratic parties and Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee, who certified Sanders to appear on the ballot in mid-December.

The lawsuit asks a judge to disqualify Sanders from the primary, order Lee not to certify any votes for Sanders in the primary and block the Democratic Party from awarding any delegates to Sanders from the primary. “The lawsuit is ridiculous,” Juan Penalosa, executive director of the Florida Democratic Party, said in an emailed statement. “Votes cast for the senator are valid and must be counted.” -- Jennifer Kay

Bloomberg Called Warren Scary. She’s Cashing In (7:40 a.m.)

A 2016 audio surfaced Monday of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at a closed-door event calling the progressive movement and Senator Elizabeth Warren “scary.”

So what did she do? She bought the website ScareMikeBloomberg.com and is now trying to use it to raise campaign funds.

“The left is arising. The progressive movement is just as scary,” the audio reported by CNN quoted Bloomberg as saying. “Elizabeth Warren on one side. And whoever you want to pick on the Republicans on the right side?”

Bloomberg, who ran for mayor as a Republican and independent, is now self-funding his campaign for the Democratic nomination for president, arguing that he has the resources and the platform to defeat President Donald Trump.

(Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)

Stu Loeser, a spokesman for Bloomberg, told CNN that the opening line was “a joke” and that Bloomberg went on to tell wealthy Americans “that they need to break their addiction to cheap money that’s exacerbating income inequality in America.”

Bloomberg’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the audio Bloomberg also said the country needs to solve the problem of income equality before society “blows up.” -- Elizabeth Wasserman

COMING UP

Democratic candidates debate in Charleston, South Caroline, tonight ahead of that state’s primary on Feb. 29. Fourteen states and one U.S. territory will vote on Super Tuesday, March 3.

(Disclaimer: Michael Bloomberg is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. He is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)

--With assistance from Mark Niquette, Elizabeth Wasserman and Jennifer Kay.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ryan Teague Beckwith in Washington, D.C. at rbeckwith3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Wasserman at ewasserman2@bloomberg.net, Max Berley, Wendy Benjaminson

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