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Article snippet: Democratic presidential hopefuls, including former Vice President MORE (D-Calif.) are wrestling with their past “tough on crime” positions as the primary battle heats up. Biden, the frontrunner for his party’s nomination, has seen his role in the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act come under deep scrutiny. Sen. MORE (D-N.J.) and Biden have engaged in a heated battle all week over issues of criminal justice, with the former Newark mayor offering pointed criticism of Biden’s past support for the crime bill. Booker said Biden’s crime bill had put “mass incarceration on steroids” and that the party needed a leader more in tune with its future. The Biden campaign has responded by attacking Booker’s record as mayor of Newark, including the way Newark police stopped and frisked black men, and the city’s objection when the Justice Department took action against Newark’s police. The context for the fight is a bitter battle for African American voters, who are a key to winning the Democratic primary. Biden has a large lead in polls with black voters, but Booker and Harris are seeking to make inroads. New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio, another presidential candidate far back in the large field, has also ripped Biden over the 1990s crime bill. The crime bill authored by Biden was popular at the time it passed, including within the African American community. It significantly expanded sentencing and implemented the so-called “three strikes” provision, which al... Link to the full article to read more