The Biden administration has put its economic message front and center, tasking Vice President Kamala Harris with an economic opportunity tour. Events began in Georgia last week and are next scheduled for Michigan, as the issue remains paramount to voters heading into the November election.
“The Biden campaign needs to be very sensitive about the issue of turnout among potential Democratic voters in Michigan and Georgia,” said Ken Coleman, director of the Center for Political Research at the University of Michigan.
Both states flipped from red to blue after Biden defeated former President Trump in 2020.
“In these states, every little bit of turnout is likely to matter,” Coleman added.
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Biden and Harris are running for re-election in November. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Democratic strategist Kaivan Schroff said, “It’s nothing new to quote James Carville’s line, “It’s the economy that’s stupid,” but the economy really does play a huge role in determining presidential outcomes. He is playing his role.”
The official tour was announced earlier this week, with the White House planning to roll out an event in Atlanta on April 29 and preview an event in Detroit later this week. The press release states that more locations and dates will be added soon.
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“President Biden and I are committed to creating an economy where all people are free to prosper,” Harris said in a statement on the trip.
The kickoff in Atlanta included an event in which the vice president spoke to hundreds of mostly Black entrepreneurs and members of Congress. She touted the legislation passed during the Biden administration, particularly highlighting spending on infrastructure and manufacturing.
Atlanta downtown skyline. (Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The trip to Georgia comes amid lingering concerns about Biden’s performance with Black Americans, with some expressing reluctance to support the president again.
A recent Fox News poll showed Trump leading 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 an important step in the administration’s efforts to promote economic opportunity, especially for minority communities that will play a large role in this year’s elections, especially in battleground states,” said David Dermofal, a political scientist at the University of South Carolina. It’s a way to emphasize action.” .
He said the Atlanta event was “notable for its in-depth panel discussion, which highlights how the administration is responding to these constituent concerns with in-depth, substantive and policy-oriented events.” said.
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Harris has been at the forefront on issues such as abortion and inequality. (AP Photo/Meg Kinard)
“The issues she will be discussing in Atlanta and will be discussing in Detroit are table issues, like combating medical debt, paths to homeownership, and student loan forgiveness,” Schroff said. “She also highlighted the efforts the Biden-Harris Administration has made to invest in Black communities, which is essential to winning again in the state with Black voters as the Biden-Harris ticket.” I think it’s important in battleground states like Georgia and Michigan.”I did it in 2020. ”
Harris’ office said the tour is focused on showing voters what the administration has accomplished to expand opportunities for people in traditionally underserved communities. explained. Representatives from the Small Business Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development will also accompany the Vice President on his tour and provide information and resources about various programs.
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On Monday, she will head to Detroit for a second event, where Biden and the Democratic Party are seeing red flags regarding the election.
A Fox News poll last month found Trump defeating Biden in Michigan, 49% to 46%. In 2020, Biden defeated Trump in Michigan 49.9% to 48.6%.
downtown detroit (St. Petersburg)
Anthony Michael Kreis, assistant professor of law at Georgia State University, said: “A big key for Biden in Michigan and Georgia is to solidify his base and capture one key demographic: educated suburban voters.” That’s true.”
“For both of these groups, Biden has a big challenge.”
“While the economy is good on paper, Americans aren’t necessarily feeling that way at home, especially after the last few years of inflation,” Kreis said.
He argued that the Biden and Harris re-election campaigns have yet to find the right message to persuade voters, adding that the trip “seems to be their latest attempt to hone their economic message.”
“There’s absolutely no debate about how much money Biden spent to prop up the economy, which is why the $1.8 trillion budget deficit… , a $35 trillion national debt, and record inflation.”
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Despite the spending, voters remain “frustrated by the cost of living, the cost of gas, the decline in take-home pay, and a feckless leader who can’t seem to manage anything effectively,” he said.
Kyle Kondik, editor-in-chief of Sabbath Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, suggested that President Trump is finding an effective pitch to voters by relying on “nostalgia for a pre-COVID economy.” did.
“Biden doesn’t necessarily have to be seen as better economically than Trump to win, but he does need to fight this nostalgia,” he said.
Biden faces a significant challenge in holding onto states that flipped in 2020. (Getty Images)
Democratic strategist Max Burns echoed Kreis’ point that positive economic development is not being felt by the average voter. He explained that Biden needs to be aggressive in promoting his message, adding that “retail politics has always been a strength of Biden.”
Kondik pointed to the importance of economics in any election, but said, “I question whether economics is really the main factor in voting attitudes.”
He recently said, “There was an election in which inflation became a major national issue, but the ruling party [the Democrats] No major punishment was given for it. ”
So he suggested, quoting Carville, “It’s much more complicated than just ‘It’s the economy, stupid.'”
“Under President Trump, inflation was non-existent, gas was cheap, food was affordable, and the American Dream was alive and well,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said in a statement. “Prices have almost skyrocketed due to impossible spending.” Gasoline prices are at an all-time high, up 20% from four years ago, and Americans’ paychecks have not kept pace with the rising pace of inflation.
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“Families and workers in Michigan and Georgia cannot afford another four years of Joe Biden. We need businessmen and proven leaders like President Trump to get our economy booming again. ”
The Vice President’s Office did not comment to Fox News Digital.
