Politics
Biden focuses on working-class voters in 2024 battleground states
By Jake Beardslee · January 16, 2024
In brief…
- Biden campaign is preparing arguments against GOP ahead of Iowa caucuses
- Despite poor polls, campaign touts Biden's fundraising advantage
- Key focus is battleground states like Pennsylvania with working-class voters
As the Republican presidential candidates compete in Monday’s Iowa caucuses, the first nominating contest of 2024, President Joe Biden’s campaign is preparing arguments against the GOP field, reports ABC News.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker underscored the strategy at a Monday press conference, saying, “There is no difference between the Republican candidates in the field … all of these Republican candidates are singing the same, terrible song.” Pritzker focused on contrasting Biden with Donald Trump, the Republican primary front-runner.
Though Biden currently has low approval ratings in polls, his campaign is betting that when voters directly compare Biden and Trump as the nominees, they will reject Trump’s Make America Great Again message, which the Biden campaign sees as divisive and out of touch.
The Biden campaign highlights its strong fundraising success so far, having amassed $117 million available, the most a Democratic candidate has ever raised at this early stage of the election cycle. Campaign officials say this financial advantage will allow them to focus resources on key swing states while Republican contenders continue spending money battling each other in the primaries.
The Biden campaign has already begun prioritizing swing states like Pennsylvania, which Biden has traveled to three times so far in 2024. Campaign officials point to Pennsylvania’s many voter demographics crucial for Democrats, such as working-class and blue-collar voters. However, they note they are also devoting attention to other battleground states in the early stages of the 2024 race.