Biden, Harris set for second Democratic debate showdown

Former Vice President Joe Biden will face off against Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) for a second time on the second night of the CNN Democratic debates in Detroit on July 31.

Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will take on Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on the first night of the forum, July 30. 

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) also will take the stage on July 31, along with former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii). 

South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) will join Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) on July 30, along with Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D), former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), former Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) and author Marianne Williamson. 

The candidates with the highest poll numbers will be center stage at the debates. 

Warren and Sanders will be center stage the first night, while Harris and Biden will stand next to each other on the second night. 

The assignment is a rematch for Biden and Harris. The California senator attacked Biden head-on during the first debate, criticizing his civil rights record, specifically on busing. 

Harris experienced a bump in the polls and fundraising after she confronted Biden in the forum. 

Biden said after the first debate that he did not expect Harris to confront him in the way that she did on the issue. 

Booker, who has criticized Biden’s past comments on working with segregationist senators, will stand on the other side of Biden, which could result in more moments of friction. 

The debate will also mark the first time progressives Sanders and Warren go head to head. 

Warren has risen in the polls in recent months, laying out detailed plans on her progressive policies. 

Sanders, who shares similarities with Warren on progressive policies, has in turn plateaued or dipped in polls. 

The two senators will likely seek to differentiate their policies and tout their own.