After months of failed attempts to convince the American people that the economy is strong, Joe Biden tried last week to recalibrate his economic message with a three-day jaunt through Pennsylvania.
Recognizing the frustration that many feel with the country’s economy, Biden has shifted away from his earlier push to make “Bidenomics” sound like something positive. He is now falling back on the “Middle-Class Joe” persona that was once his hallmark.
Biden’s new approach is unlikely to compensate for the lingering inflation, skyrocketing interest rates, and high prices that plague middle class voters, not only in the Keystone State but across the country. Everything from food prices to gas is more expensive these days, and the middle class is footing the bill.
Pennsylvania families are paying $888 more per month today than they were three years ago, as a result of inflation. During Biden’s economic tour, the average price of gasoline in Pennsylvania hovered around $3.75, up from a month ago, according to AAA data. Grocery prices last year jumped more in Pennsylvania than anywhere else in the country, with residents in the Commonwealth paying 8.2 percent more than the prior year.
Biden’s economic policies have been eagerly embraced by Democratic politicians in the state, including Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.). This is why Biden, Casey, and others find themselves in a precarious position among middle class voters, many of whom are worse off today than they were four years ago. They are prepared to vote with that fact in mind.
The Biden campaign’s early investment in Pennsylvania and frequent campaign stops there show that his network is worried about the effect that these economic issues will have on the presidential race and down-ballot races. Yet despite Biden’s poor approval ratings and voters’ negative opinions of the economy, the Biden team has been strategic about one thing: This election is going to come down to turnout.
The Biden-Harris campaign has announced that it is building out infrastructure in the state in order to increase left-leaning voter turnout, heavily focusing on traditionally blue areas such as Philadelphia.
Early engagement and robust get-out-the-vote efforts are not new strategies for Democratic candidates in Pennsylvania. In the 2022 matchup between Sen. John Fetterman (D) and Mehmet Oz (R), for example, election-day voters in Pennsylvania voted overwhelmingly in favor of Oz, and he garnered 2.24 million votes compared to Fetterman’s 1.77 million. Fetterman, however, already had a 400 percent advantage in absentee and early votes. Fetterman’s early vote advantage could not be overcome, even with Oz far outpacing him on election day itself.
The Biden campaign understands these numbers and wants to replicate them for 2024 by utilizing absentee and early voting to build early momentum.
This effort is one that Republicans must match if we want to win the White House and take control of the Senate. Communicating on the issues and maintaining our calls for election integrity while simultaneously using every legal tool at our disposal — including early and absentee voting — will be key to Republican success in Pennsylvania and in battleground states across the country.
In Pennsylvania, several Republican groups, including my own, have teamed up to launch a new program to connect with voters early and ensure that their ballots are securely cast and counted. Our historic investment in Pennsylvania will help build the largest-ever vote-by-mail program and engage voters on the issues that matter most.
Republicans have the bold ideas and the leadership needed to turn the direction of our country around and deliver on the issues that matter to American families, workers, and retirees.
So, while the Democrats are scrambling to revive a “Middle Class Joe” version of the president who they believe will be more appealing to voters, Republicans should join our efforts to communicate a forward-thinking vision for the country and activate voters who are desperate for change.
Jessica Anderson is president of the Sentinel Action Fund.