2020 Democrats challenge Biden's call for calm at California gathering

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Several 2020 Democratic presidential candidates took advantage of early front-runner former Vice President Joe Biden's absence from a California state party gathering on Saturday evening.

Biden was reportedly the only prominent candidate not in attendance, as he was campaigning in Ohio on Saturday. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), one of 14 candidates at the event, seemingly took a jab at the former vice president who had previously preached calm in the Democratic Party and said once President Trump is out of office, the GOP may have an "epiphany," leading them to embrace bipartisanship. "Some say if we all just calm down, the Republicans will come to their senses," Warren said. "But this country is in crisis. The time for small ideas is over." South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg was less direct than Warren, but also said "the riskiest thing we can do is play it safe."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.