Biden makes rare dip into battleground state fray with a visit to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden makes a rare jump to 2024 political battlefield struggle since he stepped back after ending his re-election bid.
He will campaign in Pennsylvania on Tuesday for a close ally and visit Wisconsin to highlight a signature legislative success.
But as Biden speeds through key states, two Democratic senators locked in a competitive reelection battle are taking a markedly different approach to the outgoing president, whose approval ratings remain low in a significant part of the country.
Biden will be fully embraced by the Democratic senator. Bob Casey when he attends a private campaign fundraiser in suburban Philadelphia for Pennsylvania’s senior senator. But in Milwaukee, where Biden is highlighting his administration’s efforts replace the country’s toxic lead pipesincumbent Democratic senator. Tammy Baldwin will be conspicuously absent.
“Democrats in tight races are largely calculating that the risk of embracing Biden far outweighs the reward his efforts would bring to their campaign,” said Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Pennsylvania. “There just aren’t many places where he can help Democrats much in competitive races.”
Biden has spent little time on the campaign trail since he ended his re-election effort in July. That makes stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – two tightly contested vice presidential states Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump see crucial – all the more remarkable.
Casey and Baldwin’s races are also seen as must-wins for Democrats as they try to maintain their razor-thin control of the Senate.
Biden, after dropping out, promised to campaign hard for Harris and Democrats. But as the campaign season drew to a close, he remained largely on the sidelines as he remained a flawed surrogate for Harris and out-of-touch Democrats.
Casey, who faces a stiff challenge from Republican David McCormick as he seeks a fourth term in the Senate, has a long-term relationship with Biden.
Casey grew up on the same street as Biden in Scranton. Their families have known each other for decades, and he has campaigned with Biden numerous times, including earlier this year. Biden — a native of Delaware but born in Pennsylvania — has long claimed Pennsylvania as his own.
Still, Biden faces significant skepticism and his popularity has slumped amid pessimism about rising costs and doubts about whether he is still up to the job at age 81.
About 4 in 10 voters had a favorable view of Biden and about 6 in 10 had an unfavorable view, according to a Monmouth University Survey published at the end of September.
According to her campaign and Senate office, Baldwin will spend Tuesday on the other side of Wisconsin, attending campaign events and receiving an award.
“Senator Baldwin had a previously scheduled event at a family farm in Eau Claire to accept the American Farm Bureau Federation’s ‘Friend of Farm Bureau’ award, recognizing her leadership in the fight for the hardworking farmers, growers and producers of America,” said Eli Rosen, Baldwin communications officer. director, in response to a question about why she skipped the president’s visit.
Biden’s favorability in Wisconsin has hovered around 40% over the past year and has not increased after he withdrew from the presidential race this summer, according to a recent poll from Marquette University Law School.
Baldwin, who is seeking her third term, faces a stiff challenge from Republican Eric Hovde, the CEO of a Wisconsin real estate development company.
She skipped four of Biden’s five appearances in the state this year, including two in her hometown of Madison, before he dropped out of the race.
Baldwin, however, has appeared alongside Harris, speaking to a crowd of more than 10,000 people in Madison last month.
“Baldwin may be able to skip a Biden event, but she can’t avoid the judgment of working families in Wisconsin as they head to the polls,” said Brian Schimming, chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party.
Biden’s visit to Wisconsin, which has some 340,000 lead pipes, comes as the Environmental Protection Agency released Tuesday one last line which requires drinking water systems across the country Identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years.
Bidens Infrastructure Act 2021 provides $15 billion to find and replace the toxic pipes, a legacy the Biden White House says will impact generations to come. Lead can lower IQ and cause behavioral problems in children, and the government believes the legislation will go a long way toward removing some 9.2 million lead pipes that carry water to American homes.
White House officials downplayed Baldwin’s expected absence from the event, while noting that Wisconsin’s other senator, Republican Ron Johnson, voted against the infrastructure bill.
“Senator Baldwin is a great partner for this administration in leading the charge on the bipartisan infrastructure bill,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Natalie Quillian said of Baldwin’s absence from the president’s visit.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, whose district includes Wisconsin’s heavily Democratic capital of Madison, said Biden’s policies are popular in the battleground state even though polls show he is not.
“I don’t think the polls on Biden are based on what he’s done while in office,” Pocan said. “The problem with some polls is too simplistic. He looks old and the people in the White House don’t want that, but he is no longer active.”
Pocan, who is not in a competitive race, also defended Baldwin’s failure to appear with Biden.
“When you’re in a competitive race, you have your calendar,” Pocan said. “You have a strategy based on where you’re trying to get votes, and you don’t change it if a surrogate comes along.”
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Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin. Associated Press writers Linley Sanders and Matthew Daly contributed to this report.