Democratic front-runner Joe Biden was again the main target of his rivals at the second presidential debate on Wednesday, as many of the nine other candidates on stage took aim at his track record on race, criminal justice, immigration and healthcare.
“Go easy on me, kid,” the former vice president told Senator Kamala Harris of California with a smile as they greeted each other on stage before the debate began in Detroit.
But neither one had any plans to go easy, and they went after each other in a series of tough exchanges.
As the highest-profile candidates on the stage, both of them were also repeatedly targeted by the other candidates.
Biden did better than at the first round of debates in Miami last month, but his performance was still uneven. Harris was also on the defensive at times, failing to repeat her dominant performance in Miami.
Amid feisty exchanges, some candidates warned they should be focusing their fire on their real target: Republican President Donald Trump.