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US Midterms: Biden Heads to Florida for Campaign Push

    US Midterms: Biden Heads to Florida for Campaign Push
    Last updated Nov 01, 2022
    Image credit: independent

    Facts

    • Pres. Biden is traveling to Florida on Tuesday, just a week before the 2022 midterms. He'll hold an event at Hallandale Beach to speak about Social Security and Medicare and will attend a campaign event at Miami Gardens.[1]
    • He's planning to campaign for Charlie Crist, the Democratic nominee for governor, as well as Rep. Val Demings, who is challenging Republican Sen. Marco Rubio. Former president Trump is also expected to campaign for Rubio this week in Miami.[2]
    • Biden is expected to include taxpayer-funded remarks, with the White House stating that he will highlight Republicans' "very different vision" for America. The White House has also revealed that Biden will emphasize the GOP proposals related to older Americans, such as raising the retirement age.[3]
    • The trip is Biden's first political event in a state that he lost in 2020. As well as being expected to criticize Republican Senator Rick Scott, Biden is also expected to take aim at Florida governor and potential 2024 opponent Ron DeSantis.[4]
    • Biden is set to campaign in New Mexico on Thursday, California on Friday, and Pennsylvania on Saturday as the midterms draw ever-nearer.[5]

    Spin

    Democratic narrative

    The Biden administration views Florida as the perfect political backdrop to frame the midterms as a choice between "extreme MAGA Republicans" and Democrats. The trip is also an important opportunity to size up a potential 2024 rival in DeSantis as Biden looks to solidify his own position as the incumbent Democratic nominee.

    Republican narrative

    So far, Biden has been missing in battleground states such as Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. This could be due to his low approval ratings or simply because he cannot handle the campaigning at his age. Clearly, Biden is a liability to his own party — otherwise, he would be stumping where it matters at this vital time.

    Nerd narrative

    There's an 11% chance that Joe Biden will announce that he will not run for president in 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


    Political split

    LEFT

    RIGHT