Washington (CNN) Former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign says he misspoke when he told a group of Hispanic and Asian voters in Iowa on Thursday that "poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids" before he attempted to correct himself.

Biden, who's been on a campaign swing through Iowa , was speaking on education at a town hall hosted by the Asian and Latino Coalition in Des Moines, Iowa.

"We have this notion that somehow if you're poor you cannot do it. Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids -- wealthy kids, black kids, Asian kids. No, I really mean it, but think how we think about it," he said.

"They can do anything that anybody else can do, given a shot," he added later.

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