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E.J. Dionne: Kamala Harris gambled and won

Sen. Kamala Harris of California went all in on every level Thursday night, taking a Democratic presidential contest that has been relatively well-mannered and turning it electric and confrontational. She already had the best performance of the night with a series of fluent and passionate statements before she took on former vice president Joe Biden on racial issues. Having underperformed after a strong start to her campaign, she gambled that pressing her advantage by attacking the front-runner would move her toward the front of the pack.

In the short run, her gambit will work. She is likely to be the center of attention for at least the next week, and, having been running mostly in single digits, she put herself on the same level as the front-runner.