The Biden administration is sending Vice President Kamala Harris on the road to take the message to Americans that Biden’s economy is working.
They say that when you need to convince someone of something, it usually means there is a major flaw in what you’re trying to sell.
Selling “Bidenomics” must be tough since most Americans can see how bad the economy is with their own eyes.
“The Biden campaign has to be very nervous about turnout problems among potential Democratic voters in Michigan and Georgia,” said Ken Kollman, director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Political Studies.
Both states were flipped from red to blue in 2020 when Biden “defeated” Trump.
“It’s likely that every sliver of turnout will matter in these states,” Kollman added.
“It’s nothing new to quote James Carville’s ‘It’s the economy stupid’ line, but the economy really consistently does play a major role in determining presidential outcomes,” Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff explained.
The official tour was announced earlier this week as the White House rolled out an April 29 event in Atlanta and previewing an event in Detroit/
“President Biden and I are committed to creating an economy in which every person has the freedom to thrive,” Harris said in a statement on the tour.
Fox News reported:
Her Atlanta kickoff included an event where the vice president delivered remarks to hundreds of people, mainly Black entrepreneurs and lawmakers. She touted legislation passed during the Biden administration, highlighting spending on infrastructure and manufacturing in particular.
Her Atlanta kickoff included an event where the vice president delivered remarks to hundreds of people, mainly Black entrepreneurs and lawmakers. She touted legislation passed during the Biden administration, highlighting spending on infrastructure and manufacturing in particular.
The Georgia visit comes as concerns over Biden’s performance with Black Americans linger, with some indicating lethargy about supporting the president again.
In a recent Fox News Poll, Trump bested Biden in Georgia, 51% to 45%. Biden defeated Trump in the southern state in 2020, 49.47% to 49.24%.
“The vice president’s economic opportunity tour is a way for the administration to highlight their actions to promote economic opportunity, especially for minority communities who will play a big role in this year’s election in swing states,” said University of South Carolina political scientist David Darmofal.
He said the Atlanta event was “noteworthy for its in-depth panel discussions. This highlights how the administration is meeting these voters’ concerns with detailed, substantive, policy-oriented events.”
“The issues she discussed in Atlanta and will discuss in Detroit are the kitchen table issues: fighting medical debt, pathways to homeownership, student loan forgiveness and more,” Shroff said.
“She is also emphasizing the efforts the Biden-Harris administration has made to invest in Black communities, and I think that is important in swing states like Georgia and Michigan where Black voters are critical to winning the state again — as the Biden-Harris ticket did in 2020.”
Harris’s office said the tour was focused on showing voters what the administration has accomplished to expand opportunities to those in communities.
Harris will head to Detroit for a second event on Monday. Here, Biden and Democrats have seen warning signs electorally.
Trump defeated Biden in Michigan, 49% to 46%. In 2020, Biden won Michigan over Trump, 49.9% to 48.6% in a Fox News Poll last month.
Georgia State University College of Law assistant professor, Anthony Michael Kreis, said, “The big keys for Biden in Michigan and Georgia is to solidify the base and hold onto one key demographic, educated suburban voters.”
“For both these groups, Biden has a huge challenge.”
“While the economy is booming on paper, Americans aren’t necessarily feeling like it at home, particularly after a rough few years of inflation,” Kreis said.
He claimed Biden and Harris’ re-election campaign’s tour “appears to be the latest attempt to refine their economic message.”
“You can’t really dispute how much money Biden has spent trying to prop up the economy, which is why we have a $1.8 trillion deficit, a $35 trillion national debt and record inflation,” remarked Michigan Republican strategist Jason Cabel Roe.
