The Biden campaign will target swing-state voters Thursday with ads during the Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers game.
The ads focus on President Biden’s middle-class upbringing and efforts to let Medicare, for the first time, negotiate down the price of certain prescription drugs. They are part of a 16-week, $25 million advertising blitz in battleground states ahead of a likely matchup with former President Donald Trump.
Mr. Trump won Michigan and Wisconsin in the 2016 election against Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Mr. Biden won the states in 2020 over Mr. Trump.
The first ad, titled “Never Left,” says Mr. Biden can empathize with working people and is working to lower costs, though high prices remain a major headwind for his reelection.
The second ad, “Finally,” highlights legislation that caps monthly out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors and points to the launch of a government drug negotiation program after decades of Democratic efforts.
“We are proud to highlight how President Biden and Vice President Harris are focused on the issues that matter most to American families and delivering real tangible results that are lowering costs for everyday Americans,” said Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez. “Next year’s election will determine whether we continue to fight for and strengthen American workers and the middle class or provide handouts to billionaires like MAGA Republicans have proposed time and time again.”
The ads will run in the Detroit and Milwaukee markets during the midday NFL game. The Lions play every Thanksgiving.
Michigan will award 15 electoral votes in the 2024 contest, while Wisconsin offers 10.
Mr. Biden is spending money in the prized states as he for the likely rematch with Mr. Trump.
Mr. Biden faces questions about his age. At 81, he is the oldest sitting president in history, though Mr. Trump is not far behind at 77.
Polling says the race is far tighter than Democrats had hoped, particularly given Mr. Trump’s legal woes.
Some recent polls say Mr. Biden is trailing Mr. Trump, but Democrats insist there is a lot of time to go for Election Day and it’s not worth panicking.
“There’s no alarm happening behind the scenes,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday, as Mr. Biden turned 81. “Our perspective is it’s not about age, it’s about the president’s experience.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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