Rep. Eric Swalwell urged Joe Biden to "pass the torch" during Thursday night's Democratic debate—but if there was anyone who took momentum from the frontrunner, it was Sen. Kamala Harris. She "stole the show" during the 10-candidate debate in Miami by challenging Biden on his record on racial issues, according to the New York Times. She called his recent remarks on working with segregationist senators "hurtful" and questioned his opposition to busing programs to end school segregation. In response, Biden told the former prosecutor that he was a "public defender, I didn’t become a prosecutor." More:
- Frontrunner stumbles. Most analysts agree that the subdued Biden, whose commanding lead in the polls ensured he would be a target, did not have a great night. Beyond the exchange with Harris, he was criticized by Bernie Sanders for his vote authorizing military action in Iraq, and may have irked Democratic voters by declaring that the NRA was "not the enemy." "Biden was not dominant at any point, though he spent much of the debate trying to placate progressives who will be vital in the primary," writes Niall Stanage at the Hill.