Challenging Cory Booker on the debate stage seems like a 'net negative' for Joe Biden, Democratic strategist says


Some rivalries are forming in the overcrowded Democratic presidential primaries, as candidates have begun to trade criticisms, The Hill reports.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the frontrunner in early polls, has often been on the receiving end, particularly when it comes to his past record on civil rights. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) went after his old stances on federal busing during the first debate, and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has followed Harris' lead. His campaign has critiqued Biden for playing a role in creating America's system of mass incarceration.
Biden's campaign already fired back in an attempt to turn the tables on Booker, as well as to send a signal that the former vice president would not be caught off guard on next week's debate stage, where he'll be flanked by Harris and Booker. "We are ready to expect the unexpected," a Biden campaign adviser told The Hill.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But not everyone thinks that strategy is wise, especially when it comes to Booker, who hasn't gained much ground in the race (Harris, on the other hand, has surged in the polls.)
"It seems like a net negative (for Biden)," Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko said. "It seems like his best path to victory would be not saying a word." Read more about the lead up to the debates at The Hill.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland