The Democratic debate delves into sexism in politics, testing the Warren-Sanders alliance

DES MOINES, Iowa - Democratic presidential candidates covered familiar ground on health care and foreign policy in their final debate before the crucial Iowa caucuses, but they found themselves on more charged territory as they discussed whether a woman could win the nation's highest elected office.

Six top contenders met Tuesday in a historic recital hall at Drake University in Des Moines three weeks before Democrats in the state hold the first contest of the primary.

Expectations were high for a showdown between Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, following a recent report by CNN that Sanders told Warren in a 2018 private meeting that a woman couldn't be elected president. The Sanders campaign called the allegation a lie.

Onstage, Sanders denied saying the remark, pointed to a three-decade old video of him saying a woman could