De Blasio attacks Biden and Harris in opening statement

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) hit former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) during his opening statement at Wednesday’s Democratic presidential primary debate, contrasting himself with the two front-runners on stage.

“There are good people on this stage, but there are real differences,” de Blasio said in Detroit.

{mosads}”Joe Biden told wealthy donors that nothing with fundamentally change if he were president,” he added. “Kamala Harris said she’s not trying to restructure society. Well, I am.”

De Blasio, who entered the race in May, has struggled to make headway in the polls and fundraising amid the crowded Democratic field.

The mayor presented himself as a progressive leader and appeared to be drawing a contrast between himself and Harris and Biden, painting them as more moderate.

He also appeared to be taking a page out of Harris’s playbook from the first Democratic debates last month, when she confronted Biden on his civil rights record.

Harris’s move on the second night of the first debates paid off for her in the polls and fundraising, pushing her into the primary field’s top tier.