Clinton, Sanders clash over qualifications, background

NEW YORK -- With accusations of lying, hustling for money and failed leadership, the race for the Democratic nomination took a decidedly negative turn, with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders exchanging a series of barbs over qualifications for the presidency.

The testy exchanges underscored the heightened stakes for both sides as the race turns to New York, where Sanders hopes to turn his recent winning streak into concrete momentum toward the nomination. Clinton, meanwhile, is looking to the April 19 contest to take command of a primary race many in her campaign worry will amplify her weaknesses heading into the general election.

Sanders' path to the nomination remains narrow: The Vermont senator must win 68 percent of the remaining delegates and uncommitted superdelegates if he hopes to clinch the Democratic nomination.

Lagging in delegates and under fire from Clinton, Sanders is shifting away from his pledge to avoid negative attacks and stinging her with direct accusations.

"I will not leave here this morning and go to a Wall Street fundraiser," he told union members at an AFL-CIO conference in Philadelphia on Thursday. "I will not be hustling money from the wealthy and the powerful."

Bernie Sanders

The comment was a direct dig at Clinton, who was headed to Ohio and Colorado for fundraising after a campaign stop in New York City.

Clinton has spent much of the past few weeks focused on Trump and Cruz, hoping to rally her party behind her by warning a Republican president would roll back President Barack Obama's achievements. But since Sanders logged a big win in Wisconsin on Tuesday night -- his sixth victory in the last seven contests -- she's been forced to pivot back to her primary opponent.

Clinton unleashed a flurry of attacks against Sanders on Wednesday, questioning his truthfulness and policy expertise, though she stopped short of saying he was unqualified for the job.

In a discussion of Sanders' interview with the editorial board of the New York Daily News, Clinton was asked whether "Bernie Sanders is qualified and ready to be president of the United States."

She responded, "Well, I think he hadn't done his homework, and he'd been talking for more than a year about doing things that he obviously hadn't really studied or understood, and that does raise a lot of questions."

Sanders jumped on the remark, telling a crowd of more than 10,000 people in Philadelphia on Wednesday night Clinton has been saying he's "not qualified to be president."

"I don't believe that she is qualified if she is, through her super PAC, taking tens of millions of dollars in special-interest funds," he said.