Biden went to states to enlist support of voters
2023.02.08 08:44
Biden went to states to enlist support of voters
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – President Joe Biden travels to two U.S. states that are crucial to his anticipated 2024 re-election bid, fresh off of a State of the Union speech to Congress in which he challenged opposition Republicans to help bring the country together.
“There’s no reason we can’t work together,” the Democratic president told Republicans in Congress who had questioned his legitimacy and threatened to block his policies.
He is now taking the message on the road, reviving a tradition of U.S. presidents speaking a day after the big speech. He will make stops in Wisconsin and Florida in the coming days, while his wife Jill Biden goes to the NFL Super Bowl in Arizona.
This week, Biden will travel to the few competitive states that, according to his political aides, will determine whether he can win a second four-year term.
In a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll that ended on Sunday, the president’s approval rating was 41%. This was close to the lowest level of his presidency, which could make it hard for him to run for reelection. More than a year before any votes are cast, White House staffers have questioned the figures’ relevance.
On Wednesday, Biden begins his trip in DeForest, Wisconsin, a state that switched its support for Republican former President Donald Trump in 2016 to Biden’s favor in 2020.
Biden is expected to praise the economic progress he highlighted in his State of the Union address regarding the strength of the American labor market in that location. Despite record-setting job creation, Democrats hope Biden can use the economy, which is seen as a weakness by some independent voters, as a selling point during the campaign.
When Biden appears on the PBS “NewsHour” on Wednesday, he also plans a rare interview with a news channel.
Biden travels to Tampa, Florida, on Thursday, where he will confront Republican lawmakers about what the White House describes as their desire to reduce benefits for Medicare and Social Security. In a state with one of the largest elderly populations, the old-age and healthcare programs are well-liked by voters.
Leaders of the Democratic Party are concerned that Florida, which has been a political battleground for more than 70 years, is completely out of their hands.
Jill Biden is expected to attend the Super Bowl on Sunday in Arizona, where she won the Democrats’ first presidential race in more than two decades in 2020.
After conducting most campaign events from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Biden, who is 80 years old, will travel more frequently during the travel spree.
An announcement regarding Biden’s candidacy is anticipated in the coming weeks. Officials generally considered Tuesday’s speech to be a trial run of his campaign’s message.
