Joe Biden has taken ‘slings and arrows’ but stayed strong for 2020, Ed Rendell says
"Kamala Harris shot up like meteor, shot right back," Rendell continued. "Elizabeth [Warren], shot up like a meteor, shot right back. [Pete] Buttigieg is shooting up, who knows."
NEW YORK — Former Vice President Joe Biden had a disappointing fundraising haul in the fall. He’s had some uneven debate performances. “Remarkably,” though, the state of the Biden campaign is good, former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said Saturday.
“Joe Biden began, when he announced, he was the choice of about 31-32% of Americans in the national poll,” Rendell, a Biden supporter, said in an interview during the Pennsylvania political class’ annual retreat to New York. “He’s taken a lot of slings and arrows, a lot of mediocre debate performances, and in most of the polls, he’s at 31-30%. Hasn’t moved the needle at all.”
“Kamala Harris shot up like meteor, shot right back,” Rendell said at the University of Pennsylvania’s annual breakfast, perhaps the most high-powered event of the weekend. “Elizabeth [Warren], shot up like a meteor, shot right back. [Pete] Buttigieg is shooting up, who knows.”
"So I'd say the state of the Biden campaign is good," Rendell said, with one exception: the primary calendar is "bad for Joe."
Iowa and New Hampshire, the first states that cast ballots in the nominating contest, are predominantly white. Biden has a wide leadwith black voters and does well with Hispanic voters as well, Rendell noted.
Even if Biden does not finish first in the first couple of states, Rendell says he expects him to win Nevada in a close race and South Carolina convincingly.
Follow all The Inquirer’s coverage of Pennsylvania Society weekend on Clout.