After debate, Dems will try to gain traction

From left, Sen Michael Bennet, D-Colo, Sen Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, former Housing and Urban Development secretary Julian Castro, Sen Cory Booker, D-NJ, former vicepresident Joe Biden, Sen Kamala Harris, D-Calif, Andrew Yang, Rep Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, Washington Gov Jay Inslee and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio stand for the

National Anthem as they are introduced before the second of two Democratic presidential primary debates hosted by CNN on July 31, in the Fox Theatre in Detroit. (AP)

DETROIT, Aug 1, (RTRS): Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden survived another debate night of sustained criticism, while many of his rivals for the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination leave Detroit hoping they did enough to keep their bids alive.

This week’s back-to-back debates gave 20 contenders in the field vying for the party’s nomination to challenge Republican President Donald Trump next year a chance to make their cases to a national audience and assert distinctions on policy and style.

US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders teamed up on Tuesday night to defend their shared policy positions against attacks by their more moderate opponents, while Biden and rival Kamala Harris came under fire on Wednesday for their records.

The coming weeks will bring another challenge. The party’s next debate is not until September, and the majority of candidates are struggling to raise enough money or gain enough traction in the polls to make the cut for that event.

Candidates, including US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, have so far failed to meet the criteria, putting pressure on their campaigns to change course or risk being relegated to obscurity.