Surrogates increasingly doing Biden's campaign dirty work as Harris rises
by Joseph Simonson
| July 02, 2019 05:01 PM
Former Vice President Joe Biden early in his campaign said he would play nice with his nearly two dozen 2020 Democratic primary rivals. His surrogates, though, are showing no such reluctance.
Rather than ignoring competitors' criticisms and smothering them with smiles as Biden, 76, says he's seeking to do, the longtime Delaware senator's supporters are taking jabs at his fast-rising opponent, California Sen. Kamala Harris.
During a recent CNN interview, Democratic Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond suggested Harris' debate behavior last Thursday bordered on rudeness — including the viral moment in which she challenged the Biden over his 1970s-era opposition to school busing and nostalgia for legislative partnerships with notorious segregationist lawmakers.
"So, I think the vice president heard Senator Harris. And I think that when you saw his silence, I think that one thing about him that really attracted me to his leadership is that he listens and feels it," Richmond said. "And last night, he listened to Senator Harris. And then, when it was his turn to talk, I think part of it was the make sure that people understood his record."
Tensions between the Biden and Harris camps are only likely to increase.
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