Biden ramps up spending, staff to close gap with Trump in battleground states
Biden, who trails former President Donald Trump by seven states that could determine the outcome of the November election in those swing states, sees the path to victory as outgunning Trump’s team with an effective ground game, funded by the significant cash advantage he has gained from his campaign.
Trump’s campaign has kept largely mum about its plans to increase staffing in battleground states, and offices, and advertising. But the Biden campaign boasts about opening 130 coordinated offices, and employing hundreds of staff “across battlegrounds,” according to a campaign adviser.
AdImpact, a company that tracks advertising campaigns, reports that the Biden campaign also spends more on advertising than Trump’s campaign in swing states.
In March, the Biden campaign announced a $30 million, six-week ad blitz that would take place in Michigan, Wisconsin Pennsylvania, Arizona Nevada Georgia and North Carolina.
The Biden campaign spent $15,3 million in advertising last week to reach the seven swing states. According to RealClearPolitics, the Trump campaign spent $1.2 in these states.
The Biden campaign is stepping up its efforts in the face of overwhelming poll numbers that favor Mr. Trump.
In a Harvard CAPS/Harris survey released on Monday, Mr. Trump led Mr. Biden by 44% to 38%. The third candidate was independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who received 5%.
According to the RealClearPolitics’ average of recent polls, Mr. Trump leads in at least one of these swing states.
Hill/Emerson’s poll, released on Tuesday, showed that Mr. Trump was sweeping all battlegrounds. He had leads ranging from 1 to 5 points in each of the seven swing states. This included polling which took into account Mr. Kennedy.
Mr. Biden has a record low approval rating. A majority of voters (65%) believe that the country is heading in the wrong directions under his leadership.
The campaign team of Mr. Trump argues that Mr. Biden’s generous spending on campaigning is not helping.
“Clearly, Biden’s $30 million in March had no impact.” In a recent statement, Trump campaign advisors Chris LaCivita & Susie Wiles stated that President Trump maintained a 6-point advantage in seven battleground states.
The former president was narrowly beaten by Mr. Biden, according to a poll conducted by Bloomberg News/Morning Consult, in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and by a larger margin in Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.
Analysts say that overflowing campaign funds can close the gap at the election, the only poll which matters.
Ron Bonjean, Republican strategist, said that “organization will be crucial because the election may come down to less than 100,000 votes. Each campaign should lock their infrastructure into place as quickly as possible.”
According to Federal Election Commission statistics, Mr. Biden has a substantial cash advantage from both his campaign and Democratic National Committee. This money is used to hire staff, open offices, and buy advertising.
The Biden Campaign Committee ended the first quarter of 2016 with $85.5 Million, while the Trump campaign had $45.1 Million. The DNC had $45.2 million in its coffers at the end of March. The Republican National Committee still had $21.6 millions in its coffers.
The advantages of campaign spending don’t always result in winning elections. However, they are crucial in funding the organization and staffing in the field, which have historically been key in getting people to vote and in helping candidates win. This is especially true in swing states where the outcome could be decided on razor-thin margins.
Trump’s campaign is also facing financial challenges that are unusual. These include the legal fees associated with four criminal cases that are still pending. In daily court hearings, the candidate has been sidelined by one trial.
Save America, a political action committee aligned with Trump, has spent $3,7 million in legal fees alone since March.
After the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade (the 1973 ruling which legalized abortion in the United States), Democrats will use a part of their cash advantage for campaigning to attract voters to the abortion issue.
Florida, a state with a Republican lean, is also being targeted by Democrats.
An aide to the campaign said that the Biden campaign opened a Tampa office and planned to open offices throughout the state. Mr. Biden, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, have visited the state several times as a result of a new abortion law that limits abortions after six weeks.
In April, the campaign bought ad space in Arizona where the Supreme Court of the state recently confirmed the reinstatement of a 1864 law that banned all abortions.
Mia Ehrenberg, national spokesperson for the Biden campaign, said that money is being spent to reach out to voters while Donald Trump is in court.
She said: “Elections can be won by showing up and meeting undecideds where they are. Talking to them about their most important issues is the best way to win them.” “Donald Trump’s campaign doesn’t understand how to win elections. He’s busy with his personal struggles and trials, or announcing his support for the ban on abortion. When he isn’t doing that, he either shouts at people who disagree with him or hosts an occasional rally to his base. Joe Biden has been working hard to win in November. Trump has not. It’s just that simple.”
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