It was a tale of two debates for Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden.
In the first Democratic debate back in June, he seemed unprepared for the attacks he wound up getting from Senator Kamala Harris.Last night, in the second debate in Detroit, University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus tells KTRH News he was ready for battle.
"It's clear the gloves are off. Biden saw this was going to be a pretty serious grudge match," Rottinghaus said.
Texas Republican strategist Bill Miller says Biden had a much better performance last night than he did in Miami.
"The vulnerability from the first debate dissolved. He's an experienced guy. He's a tough guy. He's going to fight you," Miller stated.
As for Biden's chief nemesis from the Miami debate, California Senator Kamala Harris, Miller says she became the target that Biden was back in June, especially on health care policy.
"They started wrapping her up when it came to Medicare for all and her record as a prosecutor. She was not prepared for that," Miller explained.
Rottinghaus says whatever momentum Harris had gained in the first debate may now be gone.
"She came out swinging and didn't land as many punches as she would have liked. Some of her attacks fell a little flat," Rottinghaus told KTRH News.
The next set of debates will take place on September 12th and 13th here in Houston on the campus of Texas Southern.