Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday qualified for this week's Democratic presidential debate in Nevada, putting him on the same stage as his rivals for the first tie in the race for the party's nomination.

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday qualified for this week's Democratic presidential debate in Nevada, putting him on the same stage as his rivals for the first tie in the race for the party's nomination. The debate on Wednesday will be the ninth in the contest for who will challenge Republican President Donald Trump in the November 3 election. A late entry to the race, Bloomberg, 78, has risen in public opinion polls as he pours money from his estimated $60 billion personal fortune into a national campaign, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on television ads. Also Read: Sanders says presidential rival Bloomberg will not excite voters When he takes the stage on Wednesday, he is likely to be challenged directly by rivals over his use as mayor of a policing policy widely seen as discriminatory and of supposed sexist practices at his company. "There's a lot to talk about with Michael Bloomberg," former vice president and candidate for the nomination Joe Biden told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. Bloomberg had support from 19 per cent of the people surveyed in an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll released on Tuesday. With that result, he met the Democratic Party's requirements for debate qualification by receiving double-digit support in four national polls recognized by the party, his campaign said in a statement. While Bloomberg is not competing in the first four nomination contests - Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina - he hopes to start winning delegates beginning on Super Tuesday on March 3, when 14 states will vote. At least five other candidates have qualified for Wednesday's debate ahead of Nevada's February 22 caucuses: Biden, Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg. Warren and Sanders charge that Bloomberg is trying to buy the election. He responds that he is playing by the rules and has offered to fund the Democratic effort to beat Trump even if he doesn't win the nomination. He will likely be grilled about his support while New York mayor of a policing strategy that ensnared blacks and Latinos disproportionately. See: Who is Michael Bloomberg? A profile of expected Democratic contender for US presidential race Bloomberg apologized for that policy, known as "stop and frisk," just before announcing he was running for the Democratic presidential nomination. His campaign has declined to comment on criticism over 2008 remarks in which he tied a housing market collapse to a ban on a discriminatory housing practise known as redlining. He has also expressed regret over making inappropriate jokes. "Did I ever tell a bawdy joke? Yeah, sure I did. And do I regret it? Yes. It's embarrassing," Bloomberg told ABC's "The View" on January 15. "But, you know, that's the way I grew up." The Washington Post on Saturday published what it said was a copy of a 32-page booklet distributed at a party in 1990 that included sexist remarks by Bloomberg, reportedly compiled by his colleagues. The Post also chronicled numerous discrimination lawsuits filed against Bloomberg LP, a major provider of news and financial information, over the last three decades. In one case, a saleswoman filed a lawsuit alleging that when she told Bloomberg she was pregnant in 1995, his response was, "Kill it." Bloomberg denied the accusation and the lawsuit was settled. The Washington Post published comments by a man who said he witnessed Bloomberg's remark. Bloomberg said in an interview that his company had experienced "very few" cases of sexual harassment given its large size, and said he thinks "most people would say we're a great place to work." He said the company would not release women from non-disclosure agreements that were part of legal settlements, some of which stemmed from allegations of sexual harassment. Warren has called on Bloomberg to release the women from the agreements. On Sunday, Bloomberg campaign spokeswoman Julie Wood said in an emailed statement regarding the allegations in the Washington Post: "Virtually all of this has been reported over the past two decades. In any large organization, there are going to be complaints — but Mike simply does not tolerate any kind of discrimination or harassment, and he's created cultures that are all about equality and inclusion."

Mike Bloomberg qualifies for next debate, and rivals are getting ready

Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden and rival Kamala Harris will stage a rematch of last month's explosive debate confrontation during Round 2 on Wednesday, with a re-energized Biden promising a more aggressive approach.

On the second of back-to-back nights of Democratic debates, Biden will be flanked at center stage by Harris and Cory Booker, US&nbsp;senators who are the most prominent black contenders in a Democratic nominating contest in which race has played a prominent role.

Seven other candidates, including former US&nbsp;Housing Secretary Julian Castro, Washington Governor Jay Inslee and US&nbsp;Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, will join them on stage in Detroit in search of a breakout moment that will generate new momentum for their campaigns.

On Tuesday night, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren repeatedly defended their progressive proposals under heavy fire from more moderate rivals who argued their plans to provide universal healthcare, fight climate change and decriminalize illegal border crossings would hurt Democrats at the polls next year.

The crowded field of about two dozen candidates has been vying for attention and financial support in the Democratic race to pick a challenger to Republican President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election.

Biden did not figure prominently on the first night of the debate but is likely to be the focus of the second.

The former vice president has engaged for weeks in an escalating fight with Harris and Booker for the support of black voters, a vital constituency in the Democratic nominating battle.

Biden admitted he was taken by surprise last month when Harris criticized him for opposing federally mandated busing for school integration in the 1970s and for working with segregationists while serving in the US&nbsp;Senate decades ago.

The sharp attack gave Harris a bump in the polls, and Biden's feeble response led to a dip in his standing. He has recovered in some recent polls and still maintains a firm grip on first place, helped by strong support from black voters.

Booker, who was not on stage with Biden at the last debate, has stepped up his attacks. He called Biden "the architect of mass incarceration" during the NAACP convention in Detroit last week, a reference to Biden's work as a senator on the 1994 crime bill, which critics say led to the disproportionate imprisonment of African-American men.

Biden and his campaign fired back, sharply criticizing Booker's tenure as mayor of Newark, New Jersey, where he led a police department that became embroiled in a federal civil rights investigation.

'Fantasy world'

Biden has also taken swipes at Harris, calling her promise she could institute her version of a Medicare for All health insurance plan without a middle-class tax hike "a fantasy world."

The debate lineup will create a stark visual contrast between Biden, a white 76-year-old, and his younger rivals Harris, 54, and Booker, 50, potentially making Biden look out of step in a party increasingly driven by the grassroots energy of younger and more diverse activists.

Biden, who could face intensifying questions about his age and front-runner status with another poor debate performance, promises to take the fight to Harris and Booker this time.

"I got a past I'm proud of. They got a past that's not quite so good," said Biden, who refers frequently to his eight years as No. 2 to the first black US&nbsp;president, Barack Obama.

The debates come about six months before Iowa holds the first nominating contest, and the two nights in Detroit could be the last chance for many of the lower-tier contenders to make an appearance on the national debate stage.

The Democratic National Committee will double its fundraising and polling requirements to qualify for the next debates in September and October, leaving out more candidates and raising questions about their ability to continue their campaigns. So far, only about a third of the field has met the qualifications.

Castro, who also served as mayor of San Antonio, got a slight bump in polls and fundraising after an aggressive performance in the first debate. He will be under pressure to do it again if he hopes to claw into the upper tier.

Gillibrand, Inslee and the other participants on Wednesday will simply be on a desperate quest to get recognized.

The other candidates on stage for the second night will be US&nbsp;Senator Michael Bennet, US&nbsp;Representative Tulsi Gabbard, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden and rival Kamala Harris will stage a rematch of last month's explosive debate confrontation during Round 2 on Wednesday, with a re-energized Biden promising a more aggressive approach.

Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden and rival Kamala Harris will stage a rematch of last month's explosive debate confrontation during Round 2 on Wednesday, with a re-energized Biden promising a more aggressive approach. On the second of back-to-back nights of Democratic debates, Biden will be flanked at center stage by Harris and Cory Booker, US senators who are the most prominent black contenders in a Democratic nominating contest in which race has played a prominent role. Seven other candidates, including former US Housing Secretary Julian Castro, Washington Governor Jay Inslee and US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, will join them on stage in Detroit in search of a breakout moment that will generate new momentum for their campaigns. On Tuesday night, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren repeatedly defended their progressive proposals under heavy fire from more moderate rivals who argued their plans to provide universal healthcare, fight climate change and decriminalize illegal border crossings would hurt Democrats at the polls next year. The crowded field of about two dozen candidates has been vying for attention and financial support in the Democratic race to pick a challenger to Republican President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election. Biden did not figure prominently on the first night of the debate but is likely to be the focus of the second. The former vice president has engaged for weeks in an escalating fight with Harris and Booker for the support of black voters, a vital constituency in the Democratic nominating battle. Biden admitted he was taken by surprise last month when Harris criticized him for opposing federally mandated busing for school integration in the 1970s and for working with segregationists while serving in the US Senate decades ago. The sharp attack gave Harris a bump in the polls, and Biden's feeble response led to a dip in his standing. He has recovered in some recent polls and still maintains a firm grip on first place, helped by strong support from black voters. Booker, who was not on stage with Biden at the last debate, has stepped up his attacks. He called Biden "the architect of mass incarceration" during the NAACP convention in Detroit last week, a reference to Biden's work as a senator on the 1994 crime bill, which critics say led to the disproportionate imprisonment of African-American men. Biden and his campaign fired back, sharply criticizing Booker's tenure as mayor of Newark, New Jersey, where he led a police department that became embroiled in a federal civil rights investigation. 'Fantasy world' Biden has also taken swipes at Harris, calling her promise she could institute her version of a Medicare for All health insurance plan without a middle-class tax hike "a fantasy world." The debate lineup will create a stark visual contrast between Biden, a white 76-year-old, and his younger rivals Harris, 54, and Booker, 50, potentially making Biden look out of step in a party increasingly driven by the grassroots energy of younger and more diverse activists. Biden, who could face intensifying questions about his age and front-runner status with another poor debate performance, promises to take the fight to Harris and Booker this time. "I got a past I'm proud of. They got a past that's not quite so good," said Biden, who refers frequently to his eight years as No. 2 to the first black US president, Barack Obama. The debates come about six months before Iowa holds the first nominating contest, and the two nights in Detroit could be the last chance for many of the lower-tier contenders to make an appearance on the national debate stage. The Democratic National Committee will double its fundraising and polling requirements to qualify for the next debates in September and October, leaving out more candidates and raising questions about their ability to continue their campaigns. So far, only about a third of the field has met the qualifications. Castro, who also served as mayor of San Antonio, got a slight bump in polls and fundraising after an aggressive performance in the first debate. He will be under pressure to do it again if he hopes to claw into the upper tier. Gillibrand, Inslee and the other participants on Wednesday will simply be on a desperate quest to get recognized. The other candidates on stage for the second night will be US Senator Michael Bennet, US Representative Tulsi Gabbard, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Biden and Harris to square off in Round-2 of Democratic presidential debate

democratic-presidential-debate

Democratic Presidential Debate, News on Democratic Presidential Debate, stories on Democratic Presidential Debate, articles on Democratic Presidential Debate, Democratic Presidential Debate stories at Wion, Democratic Presidential Debate news, Democratic Presidential Debate latest news

democratic presidential-debate

Mike Bloomberg qualifies for next debate, and rivals are getting ready

Biden and Harris to square off in Round-2 of Democratic presidential debate