Bernie gets testy with MSNBC anchor who asks about bowing out in 2020

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Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren compete for liberal-leaning 2020 voters

Sen. Bernie Sanders' plan to cancel student loan debt goes further than Democratic presidential rival Elizabeth Warren's proposal; Kristin Fisher reports from Washington.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., seemed irked Wednesday when an MSNBC anchor pressed him on whether he would concede the race for the Democratic nomination if he weren't the frontrunner before the party's convention in 2020.

"Are you asking that of every candidate?" Sanders asked, interrupting MSNBC anchor Kasie Hunt. Hunt asked specifically if he would "take the risk" of giving President Trump an "advantage" in the election by not conceding.

"Well, right now we are planning to win the Democratic nomination," Sanders told Hunt. He went on to claim that "poll after poll" showed him beating Trump by nine or 10 points.

"We're going to beat Trump -- we're going to win the Democratic nomination," he said.

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Sanders' 2020 run came just a few years after he battled former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for the nomination. He has come to represent the more progressive side of the party, challenging more establishment candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden.

While Biden has continually led Sanders in polling, Sanders was able to mostly stay in second place ahead of more than 20 other candidates.

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According to the RealClearPolitics average, Sanders grabbed 16.9 percent of the support for the Democratic nomination. That was substantially lower than Biden's 32 percent and just a few points ahead of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

Sanders' comments came just before the first night of Democratic primary debates in Miami, Florida. Because of the Democratic field's many candidates, the first debate is split into two nights. Warren will be among candidates debating during the first night while Sanders and Biden will take the stage Thursday on the second night.