Joe Biden has vowed to take a more combative approach to Tuesday’s debate of
Democratic presidential hopefuls as he braces for attacks from two prominent black rivals over his race record. The former US vice president has seen slumping poll numbers in early voting states and questions about his suitability arise after being challenged over past stances during the first debates last month. Attempting to keep his long-held front-runner status in the race for the Democratic Party’s 2020
White House nomination, Mr Biden warned his rivals: "I'm not going to be as polite this time." Evidence of this increased willingness to challenge others has emerged in recent days with coded criticism of Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, two African-American senators seeking the nomination. Mr Biden hit back at Mr Booker’s claim that he is the “architect of mass incarceration”, a reference to his role in helping write the 1994 crime bill blamed for increasing
prison populations. The moment Kamala Harris, right, challenged
Joe Biden, left, over his past race relations positions was replayed often on cable TV news Credit: REUTERS/Mike Segar The Biden camp released a statement questioning Mr Booker’s record as mayor of Newark, saying the city’s
police department was "a civil rights nightmare" during his tenure. A more confrontational approach to Ms Harris, whose challenging of Mr Biden over his historic lack of support for the desegregating policy of busing gave her a poll boost, is also evident. Mr Biden noted that Ms Harris once asked him to nominate her for a political role. He also took a veiled swipe at her “fantasy world” plan to provide government-funded healthcare for all without raising taxes on middle-class Americans. The forthright exchanges come amid narrowing polls, with Mr Biden’s lead slashed to just single digits in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states to vote, according to new surveys this week. Cory Booker, the Democratic senator for New Jersey, has dubbed Mr Biden the 'architect of mass incarceration' Credit: AP Photo/ Cheryl Senter Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator and second-placed candidate who challenge
Hillary Clinton for the nomination in 2016, has also seen his poll numbers dropping.
Elizabeth Warren, the left-leaning senator from Massachusetts, is now within touching distance of overtaking him in early voting states. The eventual winner will take on
Donald Trump at the November 2020 election. Twenty different
Democrats will get the chance to make their case during two consecutive debate nights, 10 people in each, in Detroit on Tuesday and Wednesday. For those struggling to get above 1 per cent in nationwide polls time is running out to make an impact, meaning there is more motivation to create ‘moments’ which can dominate TV coverage of the clashes. Mr Biden, who served as eight years as Barack Obama’s deputy, will appear in Wednesday’s debate, as will both Ms Harris and Mr Booker. Ahead of the debate, Mr Biden issued a shot across the bows: "If they want to argue about the past, I can do that. I got a past I'm proud of. They got a past that's not quite so good."