Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will appear in Philadelphia on Friday following his disastrous debate performance with embattled Senate nominee John Fetterman, trying to secure a win for the critically-condition Democrats.
It’s a rare joint appearance by the president and vice president and comes as the White House has been paying excessive attention to Pennsylvania, where Democrats hope to flip a Republican-held seat to help them retain control of the Senate .
Democrats are on the defensive as they fight to maintain control of Congress in the Nov. 8 midterm elections by propping up states and House districts won by Biden in the 2020 contest. The party is also watching Senate races nervously, particularly in the swing states.
Pennsylvania in one of those areas. Biden, Harris and Fetterman will speak for the state’s Democratic Party at a dinner Friday night in Philadelphia.
The last time Biden and Harris performed together outside the White House was on Oct. 1 at an event for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Before that, they hadn’t performed together since an event in Atlanta in January.
Friday’s fundraiser marks Biden’s 15th state visit since his tenure as president.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will appear Friday with embattled Senate nominee John Fetterman in Philadelphia after his disastrous debate performance, a rare joint appearance for the president and vice president — about Biden and Harris at the White House in April
John Fetterman is struggling to recover from Tuesday night’s debate performance, during which he had several awkward pauses and struggled to find words
Additionally, Biden and former President Obama will campaign for Fetterman and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas on Nov. 5, Axios reported.
Fetterman is struggling to recover from Tuesday night’s debate, during which he had several awkward pauses and struggled in his back-and-forth with Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz to find words. Many Democrats are wondering why he performed on the stage when he’s still recovering from a stroke he suffered in May.
The White House defended the Democratic Senate nominee, saying Biden found him “impressive” and “capable.”
“In personal conversations the President has had with the Lieutenant Governor, the President has found him to be impressive — an incredibly bright and talented person who is as capable as ever of carrying out his duties,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean -Pierre said at the press conference on Wednesday.
She couldn’t say if Biden watched Tuesday night’s debate. Biden fought with Fetterman in Pennsylvania last week.
With less than two weeks to go until the midterm elections, polls show Republicans have momentum to win the House of Representatives but control of the Senate is viewed as a defeat.
Even if Republicans win just one chamber of Congress, they can stymie Biden’s legislative agenda for the next two years and subject him to a barrage of congressional scrutiny. GOP-Lamakers are already vowing to investigate his son Hunter’s business dealings.
Democrats, meanwhile, are shifting their focus to blue areas that should be in their column.
The party places $6.3 million worth of advertising in a trio of congressional districts in New York and New Jersey, where President Biden won by at least eight points, the Washington Post reported.
Jill Biden was in Rhode Island Wednesday to campaign for a House candidate running in a district the president won by nearly 14 points.
President Joe Biden fought with John Fetterman and Fetterman’s wife Gisele in Pennsylvania last week
Jill Biden was in Rhode Island Wednesday to campaign for a House candidate running in a district the president won by nearly 14 points
Biden, meanwhile, travels to Syracuse, New York on Thursday. The area is in a district being vacated by moderate Republican Rep. John Katko. For Democrats, it’s a crucial opportunity to catch up. Biden won the 2020 district by more than 7 points.
The president is also supported by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who faces a tough re-election campaign against Republican Lee Zeldin.
Next week, Biden is scheduled to lead a political rally for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist on Tuesday in Florida.
Publicly, the White House is expressing confidence less than two weeks before an election that will set the tone for Biden’s next two years in office.
“I’m going to say, as the President said, that we’re pretty confident that we’re going to continue to have a Democratic House and Senate,” Jen O’Malley Dillon, deputy White House chief of staff, told MSNBC Tuesday night.