Early Voters See Long Lines In Nevada Precincts: U.S. Evacuating Americans On Ship Quarantined Over Coronavirus
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The Nevada caucuses are now less than a week away and Democrats are making a big push to gain last minute support, hoping it will put them over the edge to victory. Candidates are spread out across the state today hosting several rallies and events energizing voters as we enter a critical stage of this race. Their efforts seem to be paying off. There are long lines for early voting in Nevada, which kicked off this weekend, and at one voting precinct in Las Vegas, people had to wait in line for more than three hours. Democrats are determined, ready to put the chaos of the Iowa caucuses behind them. Early voters reflecting on their confidence in this process.</s>ALEX HARPER, NEVADA VOTER: I don't know if I'm ever a hundred percent certain that it's going to work out, but I do feel a lot better about it being done on getting back to basics paper and pen and just putting it into a box.</s>KIMBERLY MARTINEZ: It was a really easy smooth experience. We came in, waited about 45 minutes, so I think it's a good sign. That means a lot of people came out to vote. Once we were in there, it was really easy and straightforward.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, CNN is there in Nevada on the campaign trail as the race begins to heat up. Athena Jones is at a Bernie Sanders event in Carson City where the senator is about to speak. Athena, how is Sanders planning to keep up his momentum after his big win in New Hampshire?</s>ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. Well, he hopes -- he hopes he can keep up the momentum and win here in Nevada. We're in Carson City. Bernie Sanders will be taking the stage very soon as he makes the push to get out the vote. Of course, early voting or early caucusing, I should say began yesterday here in Nevada and lasts until Tuesday, and Sanders and his campaign are hoping they can get supporters from rallies just like this one and drive them straight to the early caucus sites. I'm joined here by Shannon Taylor. She's a resident of Carson City. She's never been to a political rally before, and right now she says she's choosing between a few people. Who are you choosing between?</s>SHANNON TAYLOR, CARSON CITY RESIDENT: Well, Bernie Sanders is one of the possibilities that's why we're here today. And then also tomorrow, I'm going to see Pete Buttigieg and he's one person that I'm interested in. Another one is Amy Klobuchar. And they're all very interesting. And I just want to hear about what their ideas are, see them in person and get a real feel for who they are and how I feel about them.</s>JONES: Now, tell me, what are some of the issues that are that are most important to you when it comes to choosing amongst the candidates?</s>TAYLOR: Right, well, the healthcare for one thing, and the immigration -- those are two important things to me and all the issues are important, but those are the ones I'm mainly eyeing.</s>JONES: Wonderful. And now you said you definitely plan not just a caucus, you plan to early caucus. So you're going to make a decision by Tuesday.</s>TAYLOR: Yes, by Tuesday. Yes. Early vote. Yes.</s>JONES: Thanks so much.</s>TAYLOR: Thank you very much.</s>JONES: So Bernie Sanders, one here in Carson City, Nevada. He also did well in the northern part of the state, even though he lost in Nevada caucuses to Hillary Clinton and so he's hoping not only to do well, again here in Carson City, but also to expand his voter base. And one thing that's going to be important here is the Latino vote. This is something that we haven't seen in the other states because they had such a small Latino population. Well, in Nevada, Latinos make up 30 percent of the population and last time around Bernie Sanders won 53 percent of the vote, so he'll be looking to increase it and to boost turnout among Latinos. And we'll also be looking during this rally to see how much he draws contrast with his rivals; folks like Pete Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg down the line -- Fred.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, looking for a repeat plus. Athena Jones, thank you so much. All right, CNN's Arlette Saenz is in Las Vegas, where former Vice President Joe Biden is campaigning today. So Arlette, how is he preparing to bounce back following his disappointing results in the last two contests?</s>ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, Nevada is really the first test of Joe Biden's theory that he will perform better in states with a more diverse demographic and to that end, we saw Joe Biden over the weekend. He has been courting Latino and African-American voters. He even stopped by an AME Church and spoke this morning during their services.</s>SAENZ: Biden has also been making stops back of house visits at some of the casinos here trying to get one on one face time with a lot of the workers in the hospitality industry here. Of course, unions have a very strong presence here in Las Vegas. And though the culinary union the biggest powerhouse union did not endorse, Joe Biden is still hoping he can woo some of those members to his side as he is hoping to perform well here -- Fred.</s>WHITFIELD: Arlette Saenz in Las Vegas, thank you so much. Former Vice President Joe Biden is telling Bernie Sanders to show some leadership, slamming the senator on "Meet the Press" today after several Sanders supporters targeted union members in Nevada who don't support his Medicare-for-All plan. Listen.</s>JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look, he may not be responsible for it. But he has some accountability. If any of my supporters did that, I'd disown them -- flatly disown them. The stuff that was said online, the way they threatened these two women who are leaders in that culinary union, it is outrageous.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, Biden is also tempering expectations for the South Carolina primary as there are new concerns this week that there are deepening cracks in his so-called South Carolina firewall. Joining me right now is Dalhi Myers, the Vice Chair of the Richland County Council in South Carolina. She is a former Joe Biden supporter who is now endorsing Bernie Sanders. Dalhi, good to see you.</s>DALHI MYERS, VICE CHAIR, RICHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL IN SOUTH CAROLINA: It's good to see you, Fredricka. Thank you for having me.</s>WHITFIELD: So explain why are you switching your support?</s>MYERS: Well, first of all, let me just say that any one of the Democratic candidates now running would be a vast improvement over what we have in the White House. So that having been said, I switched my support because looking at the ground game in South Carolina, and the way that candidates were moving to inspire voters, to get out to the polls, with the messages that they were espousing after winning, I just decided that for the constituents that I represent, the 35,000 people in Richland County who elected me to office that the better choice was Bernie Sanders, whose programs are more prescriptive for their needs. The plan for rural healthcare, the plan for broadband access, those things matter to what I like to call little America and those are the people I represent.</s>WHITFIELD: So Senator Bernie Sanders lost South Carolina to Hillary Clinton, you know, by 47 points in 2016. You know, why do you think this time is different? What puts him in a better position to be more appealing to South Carolinians?</s>MYERS: Well, I think anytime you run a campaign, you learn from that campaign. I think the Sanders campaign has learned a lot from its historic run in 2016. There are 1,700 Sanders volunteers on the ground in South Carolina, knocking doors and getting out to talk to people and to explain what the Bernie Sanders campaign is called, why Medicare-for-y'all, as he's called it matters to everyone in South Carolina, and I think that he's making an effort. Elections in South Carolina are won by hand to hand combat, every knock on the door matters. And I think the Sanders campaign is putting in the work and knocking on enough doors to make a difference this time.</s>WHITFIELD: So there's a new Quinnipiac poll, which finds that Sanders is third, when it comes to black voters nationally at just 19 percent. Do you see an opening for him in South Carolina, where, you know, the black electorate is a very powerful and sizable and you know, it's important to appeal to that state if you're a candidate.</s>MYERS: So I'm glad you asked that question. I am in atypical -- according to the media -- Sanders voter, so I am an African-American woman who is prolife. I am fiscally conservative and I identify definitely as a Democrat. So to the extent that the media narrative is that Sanders only appeals to very leftwing members of the Democratic Party, I would suggest that perhaps that narrative is shifting when the more people learn about the programs and the prescriptive for big bold plans, the more attractive the plans are to people just like me. I do not identify as a socialist or whatever it is that folks want to label the Sanders campaign. Folks, I am not paid to work for the Sanders campaign, I chose to advocate for Bernie Sanders, given the programs that he is espousing.</s>MYERS: And what I know the needs are on the ground in South Carolina for the people I represent, so yes, I do think there's an opening here for Sanders or for any candidate who is willing to work hard and put forward programs that make meaningful changes in the lives of everyday people and I think his programs will.</s>WHITFIELD: So let's talk about another candidate, you know, Pete Buttigieg, you know, he has responded to, you know, conservative radio host, Rush Limbaugh this morning. And earlier in the week, you recall, Limbaugh made some controversial comments about Buttigieg being gay, and that, you know, people don't want to see, you know, a gay man who has a husband in the White House. South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn, you know, told CNN in November that Buttigieg may have some trouble, particularly among black voters in your state because he is gay. Listen to what he told Dana Bash this morning about how voters are evolving.</s>REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): I think that we all grow, we mature, and I think that political calculations are changing quite a bit. You know, I grew up in a fundamentalist Christian Church. My father was a pastor there. My grandfather was a pastor. I know what takes place in fundamental Christian churches throughout the country. And so though, I may feel differently, I don't adhere to everything that was taught in the church I grew up in.</s>WHITFIELD: So Dalhi, what do you think about that? I mean, he was saying that, you know, there appears now to be some room among people who may have felt very uncomfortable, particularly the South Carolina constituency, you know, may have felt uncomfortable with Buttigieg whereas today, they might not be anymore.</s>MYERS: So let me start by saying again, after reevaluating my own choice, I am a very proud Bernie Sanders supporter. But that having been said, I also would reiterate what I said earlier that any one of the Democratic candidates now running -- any one of them -- is an improvement over where we are now. As to the direct comments made by our senior, certainly representative for the State of South Carolina, Jim Clyburn, somebody that we all have great affinity and respect for, like Jim Clyburn, I am the child of a bishop in the Pentecostal Church. And so my background might be similar to his, but I would say this, Pete Buttigieg has been on the ground in South Carolina. He has been doing a lot of hard work. He has been trying to make his case to the voters of South Carolina and I think that the voters of South Carolina, the Democrats in South Carolina, are opening to -- are open to listening to anyone who effectively makes their case. So I think that Jim Clyburn is right. There are voters here to whom his message will appeal, and I don't think that the slurs and the slights that are coming from the rightwing of the Republican Party, frankly, are even worthy of much conversation. I think they don't deserve the dignity, polite conversation, and I think that they ought to reconsider the tone that they're taking. And I'll just be glad to have decency back in the White House, and I'm voting for that in the primary, and I'm going to vote for it in the General Election.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Dalhi Myers, thank you so much. Glad you could be with us today.</s>MYERS: Thank you.</s>WHITFIELD: And as we count down to the Nevada caucuses, Democrats are hitting the airwaves making sure voters know where they stand, heading to a critical stage of this race.</s>SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Midwest isn't flyover country to me. I live there. The people that work there, like they are poker chips since I'm in Vegas, at one of the President bankrupt casinos. They're not poker chips to me, they are my friends and neighbors. When it comes to a state like Nevada, they have two women senators, majority women legislature. I have an incredibly strong argument here, that this state, this state has put women in power really like no other state. And then finally, the work that I've done in terms of bringing people with me, and not just by running ads, but what we just saw in New Hampshire, moderate Republicans, Independents building a coalition, that's what we need to build a coalition to win.</s>PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Part of what's at stake in this election is the idea, the idea I'm putting forward of delivering healthcare to everybody. So there's no such thing as an uninsured American, but doing it with Medicare-for-All who want it.</s>TOM STEYER (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm putting together a coalition of people, including specifically African-Americans and Latinos, who are responding to a message that is inclusive, and I'm putting together the kind of coalition that we're going to have to have in November of 2020 to beat Donald Trump.</s>SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm fighting for myself. I'm fighting for kids who are getting crushed by student loans. I'm fighting for mamas who need childcare, so they have a chance to finish their education, so they have a chance to get a job. I am out there fighting for seniors who can't get by on the Social Security check, and so it's on me to fight as hard as I can to make that case as clearly as I can.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, being on the campaign trail, pretty fatiguing. But clearly, you can see from these candidates, they are all unstoppable. Joining me right now, Executive Director for Justice Democrats and CNN political commentator, Alexandra Rojas, and Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator, Hilary Rosen. Good to see you.</s>HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hi, Fred.</s>WHITFIELD: OK. All right. So these candidates are working really hard to get out there a messaging, so you know, Hilary, you know, you just heard these Democrats talking about their messages, particularly ahead of the Nevada caucuses. Are those messages really resonating, particularly in a diverse state like Nevada?</s>ROSEN: And we could see how exhausted all these candidates are especially. You know, I was fascinated actually, by your previous guest, because she kind of breaks all the rules, right? She is, you know, a pro-life conservative who is voting for Bernie Sanders and I think what we have seen across the board in this primary is that Democrats are really not breaking down entirely across ideological lines. They're really looking at all of these candidates and trying to sort of calculate, where is my best chance to beat Donald Trump? And I think that is the challenge. Yes, that's our dichotomy. We want to beat Donald Trump, but we want to a candidate who is going to give us some vision and excitement for the future in doing it.</s>WHITFIELD: And one person who hasn't appeared on any Sunday shows to this point as a candidate, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. He is facing criticism for you know, his past stop and frisk policies. He has also apologized quite a few times now. So here's what Senator Amy Klobuchar had to say about that today.</s>KLOBUCHAR: I think he has to come on a show like yours here, Dana. He has not gone on any Sunday show since he announced. I've got to answer questions like I just did on my record, and he has to do the same thing. I don't think you should be able to hide behind airwaves and huge ad buys.</s>WHITFIELD: So Alexandra, you know, he is spending a lot of money, you know, trying to get out in front with a narrative. At the same time, he has received endorsements from Representative Gregory Meeks and a number of other Congressional Black Caucus members and even former Philadelphia Mayor Nutter. So does Bloomberg feel like people will dismiss, or you know, the stop and frisk or at least accept his apology and embrace him, like the people that I just mentioned, whose endorsements he is getting.</s>ALEXANDRA ROJAS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I mean, I think there's no question that he is literally purchasing our democracy. He is purchasing the election for the presidency of the United States. But I want to go really quickly back to what my colleague, Hilary Rosen said, because I completely agree with her that voters aren't just looking at this election on purely ideological terms, they're looking at it as not only who is going to defeat Donald Trump, but who is going to put forward solutions and proposals that are going to prioritize the working class of this country, and also focus on leveling the playing field, which is why it's also extremely, extremely concerning that Michael Bloomberg is despite being on the debate stage, despite being able to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on TV ads is basically trying to erase his record. And if you look at not just the policy itself of stop and frisk, but some of the audio tapes that have come out about specifically comments made Michael Bloomberg, these are thoughts that were generated over a lifetime, and so just making an apology about a policy that not only hurt, but deeply ruined some lives of thousands of families, black and brown families in New York, is deeply, deeply disturbing, let alone from the fact that he is a billionaire heading up a Democratic Party that is supposed to truly represent the working class. And so that's right --</s>WHITFIELD: Do you feel voters will take those things into consideration as they make a decision about whether to throw their support behind him or anyone of the others?</s>ROJAS: I think that they definitely will be, but I think that they have to be able to make that case. And it's hard when, you know, there are billions of dollars being potentially spent on this election.</s>WHITFIELD: Hilary?</s>ROSEN: Well, I don't disagree with that. And that's why I guess on balance, I'd like to see him in the debates, you know, I I'm for actually public financing of elections. I don't think people ought to be able to buy their way into just support and I think it is right that it would be great if he subjected himself to more media interviews where he could be challenged on things like stop and frisk and things like we saw the recent criticisms about his treatment of women at the Bloomberg companies.</s>WHITFIELD: Do you think he is intentionally avoiding that?</s>ROSEN: Well, as I said, we don't really have any control over whether he does interviews, but one of the opportunities we have as Democrats is you know, debates and so while I on balance don't love the process by where we are with Mayor Bloomberg, I think the best chance of people actually getting answers from him, challenging him and having him be part of the discussion instead of just outside the system, telling us what he is doing with television ads is actually to have to be in a debate with other people running for the same office, having different ideas.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, we'll leave it there for now. Hilary Rosen and Alexandra Rojas, thanks so much, ladies. All right, right now, the U.S. is evacuating Americans quarantined on a cruise ship near Japan over the coronavirus. But some passengers aren't too happy about the timing of it all.