Biden undeterred by rival Warren’s ascendancy

FLORENCE, S.C. >> Joe Biden said Saturday he is undeterred by the ascendancy of Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren, noting that some of his supporters are already treating the primary campaign as a general election contest between him and President Donald Trump.

“She doesn’t affect my strategy, period,” the former vice president said in an interview with The Associated Press before a town hall meeting in South Carolina, home to the South’s first primary next year. “And I’m not being facetious. I think she’s a fine person, a good candidate, but I didn’t get involved in deciding to run because of polling or a particular strategy.”

He also acknowledged that outside groups are considering running ads to support him, a move that comes amid concerns within his campaign that his fundraising efforts have lagged.

“There’s two things we know for certain: one, (Russian President) Vladimir Putin doesn’t want me to be president, according to Facebook taking down the Russian ads going after me. And two, surely Trump doesn’t want to face me,” Biden said. “What I’m told is, there are people out there who want to take these ads on, take him on now, because it’s a general election, me versus Trump, in their minds right now. But I’ve had no conversations with them.”

Biden’s standing in earlyvoting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire has been eroded somewhat by the rise of Massachusetts Sen. Warren and other challengers in the 2020 primary. Still, he finds himself in a strong position in South Carolina, where his support among the critical voting bloc of black voters could form the bulwark for his candidacy.

Biden emphasizes his deep ties to the state, including relationships with two late and longserving senators, Republican

Strom Thurmond and Democrat Fritz Hollings. Some in his campaign have suggested that the state could provide an electoral firewall for him if he were to lose in Iowa and New Hampshire.