Biden’s Campaign Announces It Will Spend $50 Million On Ads This Month
On Friday, President Joe Biden’s campaign team announced a $50 million ad buy this month, aiming to revive Biden’s struggling campaign after calls for his withdrawal from the race following last week’s first presidential debate.
July’s ad buy matches the campaign’s reported spending in June on a media blitz, which failed to bolster his declining polling numbers.
Public polls conducted after last week’s debate by New York Times/Siena College show Biden trailing former President Donald Trump by several percentage points, marking Trump’s largest lead in the race.
Biden’s campaign ad buy will run across online, television and radio platforms, emphasizing his key issues: abortion rights, economic fairness and democracy.
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The ads will also target high-viewership events such as the Summer Olympic Games and the Republican National Convention.
Biden will also be the main speaker at NAACP and UnidosUS conferences in Las Vegas, providing his counter-programming during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in mid-July.
Biden’s campaign additionally announced a $17 million investment in door-knocking efforts in July and August, aiming to visit three million doors over the next two months.
The campaign stated that Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and their spouses, will visit every battleground state this month.
Biden’s significant ad buy and increased travel align with his new efforts to revitalize his faltering campaign, signaling a push by his campaign for stability and normalcy amidst calls from members of his own party for him to withdraw from the race.
Biden’s lackluster performance in last week’s debate sparked panic within the Democratic party, prompting three sitting House Democratic lawmakers to urge him to drop out, with similar sentiments echoed by numerous other allies.
Many Democrats have also urged Biden to demonstrate his stamina and mental fortitude to defeat Trump by shaking things up, such as conducting more interviews with mainstream journalists and speaking without relying on a teleprompter.
In a memo released Friday morning, it was promised that Biden is “expected to engage in frequent off-the-cut moments over the month, as he has consistently throughout his campaign.”
So far this week, Biden’s public appearances have been brief and scripted, including two interviews with black talk radio hosts that he struggled through. However, he is scheduled for an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, which will air Friday evening.
He will also deliver a campaign speech in Wisconsin on Friday and another in Pennsylvania on Sunday.
In an effort to calm nervous party leaders and reconnect with frustrated voters, Biden held an all-staff campaign meeting this week and reached out to senior congressional leaders.
On Wednesday night, he met with over 20 Democratic governors, assuring them he was “in it to win it,” while acknowledging the need to improve his messaging to voters.
Campaign officials maintain that the race remains close despite Biden’s difficult week and emphasize the need for consistent and early ad spending to reach voters in the long term.
While rejecting suggestions that Biden would drop out, his campaign has acknowledged the necessity of making some changes.
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