Liz Peek: Bernie Sanders is breaking through the Democrats' two 'firewalls'

As 2020 Democratic presidential candidates head into Saturday's Nevada caucuses, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is holding onto a double-digit national lead and subsequently breaking through both Democratic "firewalls," Fox News contributor Liz Peek said Friday.

In an appearance on "Fox & Friends First" with hosts Rob Schmitt and Jillian Mele, Peek said it was evident after Sanders' powerful grasp over the rest of the Democratic field and strong showings in both Iowa and New Hampshire that the Democratic Party is in "trouble."

"I think an awful lot of Democrat officials and leaders across the country are panicked that Bernie Sanders not only is in the lead in Nevada -- which is undoubtedly the case -- he is closing in on Biden in South Carolina," she explained. 

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"There were supposed to be two firewalls preventing Bernie Sanders from getting the nomination," she continued. "One was Biden in South Carolina when you got to these diverse states that Bernie Sanders was not going to do well [in]. The second was Mike Bloomberg. And that was a bit of a shock the other night to watch the debate are realize that, 'Uh, Mike Bloomberg is not ready for primetime.'"

During the former three-term New York City mayor's debut appearance on the Las Vegas debate stage, his fellow Democratic candidates did not pull any punches in taking on the billionaire, hitting him on a string of controversial comments and revelations unearthed over the last two weeks. 

President Trump would later tweet that Bloomberg's performance was "perhaps the worst in the history of debates."

At a campaign event in Utah on Thursday, Bloomberg took his own shots at front-runner Sanders, alleging that the "real winner of the debate last night was Donald Trump," and that he worries "we may be on the way to nominating someone who cannot win in November."

The president egged Bloomberg on, tweeting the former mayor's "real winner" quote with the added comment: "I agree!"

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Back-and-forth aside, the RealClearPolitics average and a new 8 News Now/Emerson College poll released ahead of Saturday's Nevada caucuses show Sanders is the clear front-runner.

Sanders soars above the pack at 30.4 percent. In tow, former Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg follows with 16.9 percent, former vice president Joe Biden at 16.1 percent, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren with 12.1 percent and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar trailing with only 11 percent.

Bloomberg was not included in the poll because he is not listed as a candidate on the Nevada caucus form.