Clinton and Sanders find common ground as they target black and Hispanic voters

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders battled for the crucial support of black and Hispanic voters in Thursday night’s Democratic debate, a polite but pointed contest that marked a shift in the primary toward states with more minority voters.

After splitting the first two states in the state-by-state primary contest with Sanders, Clinton also deepened her assertion that her unexpectedly strong rival was energising voters with promises “that cannot be kept.” And she continued to closely align herself with President Barack Obama, who remains popular particularly with black Democrats.

Seeking to boost his own support with minorities, Sanders peppered his typically economic-focused rhetoric with calls to reform a “broken criminal justice system.”

“At the end of my first term, we will not have more people in jail than any other country,” he said.

In one of many moments of agreement between the candidates, Clinton concurred on a need to address a criminal justice system that incarcerates a disproportionate number of minorities. But she cast her proposals for fighting racial inequality as broader than his.

“We’re going to emphasise education, jobs and housing,” said Clinton, who was endorsed earlier in the day by the political action committee of the Congressional Black Caucus.

The candidates both vowed to pursue comprehensive immigration reform, using the emotional issue to draw a contrast with Republicans who oppose allowing many of the millions of people in the United States illegally to stay. Both disagreed with a new series of raids authorised by Obama to arrest and deport some people from Central America who recently came to the country illegally.