Five takeaways from the Democratic debate

The Democratic White House hopefuls slugged it out on Tuesday at the party's 10th presidential debate, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) coming under a fierce volley of attacks ahead of Saturday’s primary in South Carolina.

Here are five takeaways from a heated night in Charleston, S.C.

Rivals desperate to stop Sanders

Sanders occupied the center spot on stage, and it was clear from the onset that the front-runner would be the focus of attacks from rivals who feel they have only a few days to stop him.

The senator is eyeing a top finish in South Carolina after victories in Nevada and New Hampshire and a close second-place finish in Iowa. Rivals warn that strong showings in California and Texas next week could propel him to an insurmountable delegate lead.

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg kicked off the attacks against Sanders on Tuesday night, warning in the opening minutes of the debate that Russia wants Sanders to be the nominee because he’ll lose to President Trump.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) followed by arguing that Sanders would not be able to implement his progressive agenda because he’s too divisive.

Former Vice President Joe Biden blamed Sanders’s votes against gun control legislation for several mass shootings.

And former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg blasted Sanders for his “nostalgia for revolutionary politics of the 1960s” — a reference to his praise of Fidel Castro’s communist regime in Cuba.