Last night’s showdown between vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Paul Ryan left Delaware politicians on both sides of the aisle satisfied with their candidate’s performance after the two men traded blows in a highly energized debate.
Democratic Congressman John Carney says Vice President Biden delivered exactly what was necessary for the Obama-Biden ticket.
“He was very strong. He was very firm. He was confident. He was aggressive and challenging Congressman Ryan and the Romney/Ryan ticket with their math on the $5 trillion dollar tax cut,” said Carney
But Carney’s Republican challenger Tom Kovach believes Ryan upstaged the incumbent in subtle ways in addition to debating policy.
“I appreciated his composure. Vice President Biden has clearly been in politics quite a long time and I didn’t think, actually, that he was as composed,” said Kovach.
Coming in, most analysts charged Biden with the task of strongly defending President Barack Obama’s first term after Governor Mitt Romney’s clear win in last week’s first presidential debate.
Delaware State University political science professor Sam Hoff says Biden succeeded in that, but feels both candidates also chalked up wins in unexpected areas.
“Ryan was able to show his gravitas in foreign policy, which he certainly had to do, and Biden was able to defend the administration’s record in domestic policy and he certainly needed to that,” noted Hoff.
Hoff doesn’t believe either candidate outright won the encounter.
Instead, he feels Biden laid the groundwork President Obama must build on in next week’s debate to clinch essential swing states that Romney needs to win the election.
President Obama and Governor Romney face off in their second debate Tuesday night at Hofstra University on Long Island as the November 6th finish line edges ever closer.