President Biden’s fundraising blitz heads to Philadelphia on Monday
Organizers said donors have been generous but have concerns about negative polling for the president.
President Joe Biden is back in Philadelphia on Monday for his first fundraiser here since shortly before he launched his reelection campaign at the beginning of the year.
Biden will attend a fundraiser with Gov. Josh Shapiro, former Gov. Ed Rendell, and other prominent Philadelphia Democrats. It’s part of a campaign fundraising sweep in the last week as Biden aims to pull in money to fund big TV buys ahead of the end of the quarter on Dec. 31.
The fundraiser is expected to be midday near Penn’s Landing. Biden will also visit a firehouse in Fairmount earlier on Monday where he’ll announce federal money to reopen three fire companies in the city. It’s at least the 15th visit Biden’s made to the city since he became president in January 2021.
The visit comes as Biden has struggled to boost his lagging popularity six weeks before the Iowa caucuses, in a contest where he narrowly trails former President Donald Trump in swing states like Pennsylvania. Most Americans say they want new options in the presidential contest and express skepticism in polling about Biden’s age and readiness for a second term.
Rendell said polls haven’t stalled contributions in the region.
“I thought the worries about the president would manifest in a lack of enthusiasm in raising money. The good news is it hasn’t,” Rendell said. “There’s no hesitation about his ability to continue to be a successful president and they very much want him to win.”
That doesn’t mean donors themselves don’t worry about the polling and outside concerns about Biden.
“The donor community always finds things to be nervous about,” Rendell said. “What they don’t understand is ... elections are decided not by how popular a candidate is or isn’t — it’s how popular he is compared to his opponent, and I think I have no doubt that if President Biden runs against President Trump, he’ll win again.”
Rendell said his target goal for the fundraiser is $1 million, around what a February 2023 fundraiser in Philadelphia raised. Cohosts include Ken Jarin and Alan Kessler.
That fundraiser brought in donations but attendance was somewhat thin for a presidential appearance. Biden is such a frequent visitor to Philadelphia, going to see him is less of a draw.
“He’s the president of the United States everywhere else but when he’s here, it’s sort of like he’s home,” public affairs consultant Larry Ceisler said. “So I just don’t think it’s as big a deal.”
In recent fundraising stops in Boston and California, Biden has touted his record boosting manufacturing and infrastructure and more directly contrasted himself with Trump. In Boston he said he wasn’t sure he’d be running for reelection if Donald Trump wasn’t also in the race. “We’ve got to get it done, not because of me. ... If Trump wasn’t running I’m not sure I’d be running. We cannot let him win.”
In Los Angeles he called Trump a threat to democracy.
“Let me be clear. Donald Trump poses many threats to the country, from the right to choose to civil rights to voting rights to America’s standing in the world,” Biden said. “But the greatest threat Trump poses is to our democracy, because if we lose that, we lose everything.”
Biden’s reelection campaign has already set records for off-year ad spending by an incumbent, according to AdImpact. The campaign launched a $25 million ad buy in swing states, featuring positive Biden ads on digital platforms and airing during NFL games and in other pricey spots.
Longtime Democratic ad maker Neil Oxman noted the ads have not improved Biden’s polling in the Philadelphia market despite running for more than six weeks in prime spots.
“They ran real TV ads and the numbers have not moved one whip. Zero,” Oxman said, contending ads don’t matter in presidential campaigns. “Reality matters and when inflation is what it is or you’re getting beaten up in the press or you stumble on a word, it’s tough.”