President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Pennsylvania again this week and next, making it the state he’s visited the most outside of Delaware, in sharp contrast to his relative absence in other battleground states such as Georgia and Nevada.
Biden will campaign with Senate candidate John Fetterman (D-PA) for a second time in Philadelphia on Thursday, following a stop in Pittsburgh earlier in the day where he’ll talk about infrastructure.
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With less than a month to go before the midterm elections, reporters are taking notice of the president’s travel schedule. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was peppered with questions about Biden’s moves on Monday.
“The president is going to get out there to make sure that he’s talking directly to the American people about how we are delivering on our promises,” Jean-Pierre said. “He’s been on the road nonstop, and he will continue to be on the road nonstop. Where he is needed, he will go.”
Biden’s Pennsylvania visit on Thursday will be his 18th to the Keystone State since taking office, more than any state other than Delaware, where he stays nearly every weekend.
Biden has visited Georgia only once in 2022, the same number as Nevada and Michigan, and there are 22 states Biden has not visited at all this year, including hotly contested Arizona, which Biden skipped along with Nevada during last week’s West Coast swing. The places he’s visited the most are largely blue, including New York, Virginia, and Maryland.
In contrast, Pennsylvania is a big battleground state the president visits often, with his upcoming trips representing his ninth and 10 stops there in 2022. It’s his second rally with Fetterman following a joint appearance on Labor Day.
“If I have to be in a foxhole, I want John Fetterman in there with me,” Biden said during their last event. “I’ll tell you what, I want John in there with me. I mean that sincerely.”
The two are even aligning more on policy. Ahead of the Labor Day appearance, Fetterman publicly challenged Biden to legalize marijuana at the federal level. The president has since taken action on the issue, pardoning thousands who were convicted of possession and asking for a review of how the drug is scheduled under federal law.
But it’s Biden’s background and proximity that makes Pennsylvania special rather than his relationship with Fetterman or anyone else in the state, argues former Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney.
“Pennsylvania is literally a second home to him, and he’s quite popular in and around [Philadelphia],” Rooney said. “So yes, I think his visit is beneficial to Fetterman, without question.”
Biden was born in Pennsylvania and spent much of his childhood in Scranton, a fact he often touts on the campaign trail. His current home of Wilmington, Delaware, is only 30 miles from Philadelphia.
A Civiqs poll found Biden’s overall approval rating at 39% nationally and 38% in Pennsylvania, so it may be that Biden’s backstory and proximity explain the frequent visits rather than any special love the state’s residents have for him.
Fetterman could use help as he fights through the campaign’s final weeks. A Trafalgar Group poll showed him clinging to a narrow lead, 47% to 45%, over Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Biden’s low approval ratings overall likely explain his campaign trail absence. Jean-Pierre repeatedly cited the Hatch Act, which prevents government employees from overt campaigning, when asked about Biden’s travel schedule.
“Will we be seeing [Biden] appear alongside candidates in public?” one reporter asked Monday. “Is that intentional to not have him stumping with these candidates and supporting his party?”
Jean-Pierre responded by pointing to last week’s West Coast trip as evidence that Biden is, in fact, traveling.
Rooney said Biden was known as “Pennsylvania’s third senator” during his long run representing Delaware in the Senate and pointed to other top Democrats who will campaign in battleground states that may be better suited to those locations. As evidence, he cited former President Barack Obama campaigning in Georgia and Michigan.
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“When this region needed something, Biden was always there. He’s got long-standing goodwill built up,” Rooney said. “This is nothing new. Biden or the first lady going to Pennsylvania is like somebody going to get a cup of coffee at Wawa. It’s part of the fabric of your being. It makes sense.”
