Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton Tout Liberal Credentials at Vegas Town Hall

As the Democratic presidential candidates spar over who would best uphold President Barack Obama's legacy, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday suggested Obama has faced racist opposition from Republicans while also refusing to disown his one-time call for a primary challenger to the president.

"The idea that there can be a primary where different ideas get floated, I don't think that that is terrible," Sanders said in a wide-ranging town hall hosted by MSNBC less than 48 hours head of Nevada's first-in-the-West caucus Saturday.

With the candidates working hard to appeal to African-American voters, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has criticized Sanders for saying in an interview in the run-up to Obama's 2012 reelection bid that a primary challenger would help push Obama to the left.

Not surprisingly given the large Latino population in Nevada, immigration was a major topic in the forum. Sanders promised to make reform a "top priority," but said, "I'm not a dictator here" when pressed on a time table. He noted the difficulty in getting a bill on the controversial topic through Congress.
 

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