Washington Free Beacon Editor-in-Chief Matthew Continetti said former Vice President Joe Biden "is in a strong place" going into the Democratic primary debates, as long as he doesn't get himself into trouble on stage.
Continetti pointed out during a Wednesday appearance on Fox News Channel's Special Report that Biden will be a constant subject during both debates, held on Wednesday and Thursday night.
"Biden isn't on the stage, but he may be on the stage because he leading all of the polls, so he'll come up either way," host Bret Baier said of the first debate.
"That's right," Continetti replied, "I expect some Democrats like Cory Booker to make a generational argument and say it's time for new leadership."
Continetti went on to point out that "debates more often break candidacies than make them," referencing famous recent examples.
"You think about what happened to Rick Perry, his 'oops' moment in 2012, and Marco Rubio's confrontation with Chris Christie in 2016, those are two debates where they can say they change the momentum of the primary," he said. "If you actually look more broadly though, the fact is debates don't really change things, and I think Biden is in a strong place going into these debates as long as he doesn't get in trouble which sometimes he has a tendency to do."
As he enters the debates, Biden leads the Democratic field by a wide margin, despite recent gaffes, such as his flip-flop on the Hyde Amendment and his favorable comments about former Democratic senators who supported segregation.