Hillary Clinton strengthened her position as the Democratic front-runner in the race for the White House after she turned up the heat on her main rival at the party’s first televised presidential debate.
Mrs Clinton criticised Senator Bernie Sanders for his socialist views and soft stance on gun control, and most pundits agreed that she was the clear winner.
After the live debate in Las Vegas, her husband Bill Clinton, the former president, tweeted: “I’m proud of @HillaryClinton. Tonight, she showed why she should be President.”
Mr Sanders got a standing ovation when he addressed the scandal over Mrs Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State. He said: “The American public is sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails.”
The former First Lady smiled broadly and shook his hand, saying: “Thank you, Bernie.”
The exchange set the tone for the lively but well-mannered encounter — but the other three candidates barely got a look-in as Mrs Clinton focused on her main rival.
Mr Sanders, who spent his honeymoon in Soviet Russia, said he was not a capitalist and that America should be more like Denmark.
He urged voters to “mobilize our people to take back our government from a handful of billionaires” and called for a “political revolution”.
Mrs Clinton said she loved Denmark but “we are not Denmark, we are the United States of America”. She added: “It’s our job to rein in the excesses of capitalism but we would be making a big mistake to turn our backs on what made built the greatest middle class in the history of the world.”
And when asked if Mr Sanders was tough enough on gun control, she replied: “No, not at all.”
Mr Sanders represents Vermont, a rural state with relaxed gun laws, and has voted against new restrictions despite mass shootings in the US.
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Mrs Clinton won loud applause when she said: “This has gone on too long and it’s time the entire country stood up against the NRA (National Rifle Association).” Over the course of the two-hour debate Mr Sanders and Mrs Clinton agreed on the need for extended paid leave, more action on climate change and tougher regulation for Wall Street.
Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s high point was when he accused Mr Sanders of “pandering to the NRA”.
Former Virginia Senator Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee, a former governor of Rhode Island, made little impact. Vice President Joe Biden has not declared if he will run for the presidential nomination.
