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Bloomberg's campaign wants to engage with the Latino community

The first real test is Nevada's caucus on Feb. 22, the first contest with a sizable population of Latino voters.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Six Democratic presidential hopefuls met on the debate stage in Las Vegas, but it was the newcomer who received the most attention. 

Mike Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, came under withering attack from all of the other five, with varying degrees of heat. 

The billionaire has spent more than $400 million so far. But front-runner Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist, was also challenged on the other end of the political spectrum.  

The aggressive confrontation in Las Vegas threatened to further scramble the party's urgent quest to defeat President Donald Trump in November.

Bloomberg, the former New York mayor, was forced to defend his divisive record on race, gender and Wall Street in his debate-stage debut. Sanders, appearing in his ninth debate of the 2020 primary season, tried to beat back pointed questions about his health and his ability to defeat Trump as a self-described “democratic socialist.”

With Iowa and New Hampshire behind them, the Democrats' 2020 field lurches toward a decidedly more diverse set of voters and, with them, huge new tests for the leading candidates. 

The first real test is Nevada's caucus on Feb. 22, the first contest with a sizable population of Latino voters. Following quickly are California and Texas, states that are 40% Hispanic and represent nearly half the delegates up for grabs on so-called Super Tuesday on March 3. Arizona and Florida vote two weeks later. 

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Strength among Latino voters could build a foundation of support that helps presidential hopefuls rack up delegates deep into the nomination process.

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg has been aggressively courting black voters while his rivals have been battling it out in majority-white Iowa and New Hampshire. 

The billionaire's effort is backed by millions of dollars in ads. It has taken him across Southern states that vote on Super Tuesday and where African American voters can decide a Democratic primary. The outreach aims squarely at former Vice President Joe Biden, who's banking on black voters to resuscitate his bid after poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire. 

After winning or tying in Iowa and New Hampshire, Bernie Sanders is looking to Latinos to build a delegate lead that could make him difficult to catch after Super Tuesday. Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar are fighting to prove their embarrassing polling numbers with people of color don't reflect reality on the ground. 

And it's put-up-or-shut-up time for Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, who need a strong showing to prove they still belong in the race.

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