Sanders, Klobuchar, and Buttigieg connect with voters in Nevada ahead of Wednesday's debate

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg participated in CNN town halls in Nevada on Tuesday night, with the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates fielding questions about the field, policies, and President Trump.

Sanders is leading in the polls and did well in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, but when asked if he is the Democratic frontrunner, Sanders responded, "Who cares?" He also pushed back against allegations that his supporters are sending threatening messages to Culinary Union in Nevada leaders, after the organization distributed flyers saying Sanders would "end" their health care. "The idea that anybody who works with me would make a vicious attack against a union leader just because we disagree on an issue is incomprehensible to me," he said. "And you know what, I'm just not sure that that's true."

Buttigieg called out several people close to Trump, including Attorney General William Barr. Barr, he said, should resign due to the way he is handling the Department of Justice's criminal cases against people like Trump friend and adviser Roger Stone. "This really is an emergency," he said. "It's an emergency of legitimacy in our justice system. Our justice system only works if it is immune from the interference of politicians."

He also scoffed at Trump ally Rush Limbaugh lecturing him on family values. Buttigieg said his marriage "never involved me having to send hush money to a porn star after cheating on my spouse." Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, now incarcerated for campaign finance violations, arranged payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who said she had an affair with Trump in 2006.

Klobuchar said while it would be "cool" to be the first woman president, "I think the story that we tell and the campaign that we run has to be more than about that. It has to be about people's dreams." She also shared why she was unable to remember the president of Mexico's name last week when asked during an interview — an error Buttigieg brought up. "When that happened, for what it's worth, I had been in the Senate all day," Klobuchar said. "We had six votes, including a resolution to be a check on the president. And I got on a plane and got there at midnight my time and had a fast interview and two forums after that, I think ending at about two or three in the morning. Such is life."