Things are starting to look up — or at least a little less gloomy — for President Biden’s reelection hopes.
Despite a lagging approval rating, endless questions about his age and raging concerns about the U.S.-Mexico border, Mr. Biden has stayed competitive in polling and raked in tons of money that is helping him expand his footprint in battleground states and blanket the airwaves with campaign ads.
“There is reason to be optimistic,” said Christopher P. Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Pennsylvania, where Mr. Biden is running television ads downplaying his age and touting his support of abortion rights.
Mr. Borick said Mr. Biden appeared to get a “modest” bounce out of the State of the Union address, which tamped down age concerns, and there are signs that public confidence in the economy is trending in a positive direction.
“There is little wind at his back,” he said. “Maybe a pleasant spring breeze.”
Challenging the notion, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said Democrats should take a look at the Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll released Tuesday that showed Mr. Biden is less popular with Latinos than the Democratic Party and Mr. Trump’s support among Latinos is on the rise.
“I’m not sure optimistic is how they should be feeling,” Mr. Cheung said.
At the same time, though, Mr. Biden has led or been tied in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup with Mr. Trump in 7 out of the last 10 national surveys, according to a runny tally by Real Clear Politics.
In addition, a recent Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll showed Mr. Biden closing the gap on Mr. Trump in 6 of 7 swing states. In Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, they are neck-and-neck, the survey showed.
Mr. Biden, much like in 2020, also has benefited from the lingering voter distaste for Mr. Trump. Close to half of his supporters said their vote is more against Mr. Trump than for Mr. Biden.
The Biden vs. Trump sequel is shaping up as a lesser-of-two-evils election for many voters.
The debate over 81-year-old Biden’s mental acuity will rage through the fall, while Mr. Trump is days away from the beginning of a court trial over his alleged attempts to cover up hush-money payments to an adult film star that is expected to drag on for about a month.
Plus, they both are likely to be running against third-party contenders including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Jill Stein, adding another wrinkle into the Election Day calculus.
The campaigns have been left to read the tea leaves, looking for signs of momentum, and ways to energize and expand their voter base.
Democrats have pointed to their victories in the 2022 midterm elections as evidence their message is resonating.
The Biden campaign, meanwhile, has been heralding the success it has had on the fundraising front.
His campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and joint fundraising committees pulled in a whopping $90 million last month, which included a $25 million New York City fundraiser featuring former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
He closed out the month with $192 million cash on hand, more than any other candidate in history at this point in the cycle, and more than double the $93.1 million Republicans raised.
The Biden campaign late last month announced it was opening over 100 campaign offices in swing states, including 44 in Wisconsin. They said it gives them a leg up on Mr. Trump, who has yet to establish a notable ground game.
The Biden campaign’s cash is paying for ads in battleground state ads that warn Mr. Trump cannot be trusted to protect a woman’s right to an abortion after he fulfilled his 2016 campaign promise of stocking the Supreme Court with justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade.
Mr. Biden also is trying to juice up his base, including his announcement this week that he was taking another crack at erasing student debt for millions of Americans.
For his part, Mr. Biden is projecting confidence.
He says jobs are up, and unemployment is down. He says tens of thousands of people are contributing to his campaign.
“I think the country is ready to come together. I am truly optimistic,” Mr. Biden said during a recent appearance on NBC’s “Today.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the year of the last midterm elections. They were held in 2022.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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