Dems Tout Liberal Chops as Cruz Under Fire for Iowa Tactics

Democratic presidential candidates are fighting over who's the true liberal candidate, as Republican candidates bicker over tactics used by the Cruz camp in Iowa.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are gearing up for a big debate Thursday night before the New Hampshire primary.

Sanders, a socialist, is favored to win in New Hampshire. He says Clinton's record is "just not progressive" on many issues, including her vote as a senator to authorize the war in Iraq.

Clinton calls that a "low blow," arguing that she's the candidate with the ability to actually implement progressive changes.

Meanwhile, Ben Carson and Donald Trump are lashing out at Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, over his Iowa win.

Trump accuses Cruz of stealing the Iowa caucus, and he's calling for a do-over.

Trump and Carson both argue Cruz won Iowa because his team told voters at caucus locations that Carson was about to quit the race - a move they say was designed to siphon off the former neurosurgeon's support.

Cruz has since called Carson to apologize, saying he was not aware his team had been targeting Carson that way, and that he later found they had heard the report about Carson from CNN.

Cruz took a different approach in his response to Trump, blasting the billionaire for throwing a "Trumper-tantrum," even saying he doesn't trust Trump's finger on the nuclear button.

At a hastily called news conference in Washington, Carson said Cruz told him he was unaware of his supporters spreading that rumor and that he disapproved of such tactics.

But Carson said there should be consequences, and that voters should look at what the candidates do, and not just what they say. He quoted a Bible verse where Jesus taught that there are some people "who aren't what they seem to be, who say one thing and do another."

This squabble comes as the GOP field shrinks. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Rick Santorum have now dropped out, and Santorum has announced he's backing Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for president.

Rubio, who nearly tied Trump for second place in Iowa, has been arguing he is the right candidate to unite the party.

"When I am our nominee I can bring this party together," Rubio told more than 300 people at a campaign event Wednesday in Bow, New Hampshire. "We cannot win if we are divided against each other."