Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are heading for a rematch — taking center stage Wednesday night in Detroit a month after their clash over race dominated the first round of Democratic presidential debates.
Harris’ attack on the former vice president’s record on busing reverberated throughout the 2020 campaign — giving the California U.S. senator a bump in the polls while raising questions about Biden’s viability.
Referencing the first debate spat at a Detroit fundraiser last week, Biden said, “I’m not going to be as polite this time.”
Harris responded by telling reporters, “My mother raised me to be polite and I intend to be polite.”
Recent polls show Harris’ post-first debate shine may be wearing off. A Quinnipiac national poll released Monday showed Biden leading with 34% support, bouncing back from 22% in the university’s July 2 survey. Harris, who placed second in that survey with 20%, slid to third this week with 12%. Biden topped an Emerson College poll conducted July 27-29 with 33%, up 3 percentage points from early July. Harris fell 4 percentage points, finishing fourth behind U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren with 11%.
David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, said Harris needs to “build a base for a new high” or risks dropping off like former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, whose campaign is now mired in low polling and fundraising.
But there’s “a danger” to Harris attacking Biden again, Paleologos said. “It’s hard to employ the exact same strategy and expect the exact same outcome.”
Paleologos said voters will be looking to see if Biden “can learn and adjust” both between and within the debates.
Democratic strategist Tony Cignoli said, “Biden cannot suffer another ‘gotcha’ moment” as candidates like Harris and New Jersey U.S. Sen. Cory Booker look to “show viability against the front-runner.”
Booker will flank Biden, whom he recently called an “architect” of a “failed” criminal justice system in reference to Biden’s criminal justice plan, setting off a spat with Biden’s deputy campaign manager. That could spill onto the debate stage — with Booker’s campaign manager Addisu Demissie saying, “He’s not somebody who’s afraid to speak truth to power.”
Wednesday’s lineup also includes Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, New York U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Hawaii U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, businessman Andrew Yang and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, and features five candidates of color.
