Biden digging for dollars in wealthy Democratic enclaves

President Biden has targeted blue strongholds ahead of his first fundraising deadline, raking in cash from reliable Democratic donors to give his reelection bid an early boost.

The president has fundraised in high-income ZIP codes in Chicago, Maryland, San Francisco, Connecticut and New York City just in the last month — all friendly places for Democrats.

The sprint to connect with donors and bring in cash comes as the Biden campaign hopes for a strong showing in its first fundraising report, for the quarter that ends Friday. He announced his reelection bid in April.

“First things first, he needs to secure his base and get the funding he needs. It makes sense to go do this in friendly territory,” said Ivan Zapien, a former Democratic National Committee (DNC) official.

The results of Biden’s fundraising swing will be released in his first 2024 campaign finance report in July.

A Biden campaign spokesperson would not disclose any specific fundraising tallies but said they have been encouraged by the initial response from donors, adding that there have been “a significant number of new donors since 2020.”

The official added that the unified effort from the Biden campaign and the DNC is in stark contrast to the GOP, where Republican presidential candidates are dividing resources.

Biden’s fundraising blitz is part of a broader campaign strategy to connect with donors and build momentum that can be sustained over the next 16 months.

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Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden’s campaign manager, has been traveling in recent weeks with officials from the DNC to Minneapolis, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and St. Louis to speak with supporters, local officials and donors.

The meetings are meant as a way for donors to meet directly with campaign and DNC leaders to discuss the campaign’s path to victory in 2024 and how early support from bundlers and local officials can help build early momentum.

Ahead of the end of the fundraising quarter, Biden, Vice President Harris, first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff have fanned across the country to attend campaign receptions in the hopes of supercharging the first public finance report.

Biden, in particular, has been meeting with groups of big money donors.

The minimum donation for a campaign reception Wednesday in Chicago was $3,300, and donors could pay $25,000 to get a picture with the president.

Meanwhile, Republicans bashed Biden for visiting these areas, many of which are some of the wealthiest towns in the United States.

“Instead of fixing the multiple crises he created or visiting East Palestine, Ohio like he promised, Biden chooses to mingle with liberal elites inside the beltway. Biden has had time for political fundraisers, celebrities, and vacations, but not serving hard-working Americans and families who are suffering because of his failed agenda,” Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement.

During the closed-door fundraisers, which are generally groups of about 120 people or fewer, Biden gives remarks and focuses on issues from foreign policy to reproductive rights. He also tends to talk about LGBTQ rights, gun violence, the infrastructure law and the economy — a window into issues he will highlight on the trail.

The president’s visits to fundraisers have typically been paired with official events. In Connecticut, he spoke about gun violence in Hartford before heading to Greenwich to fundraise. In the San Francisco area, he spoke about climate and had a meeting on artificial intelligence before heading to Silicon Valley and other towns in the Bay Area to meet with donors.

In Chicago, he spoke about his economic agenda — what the White House has deemed “Bidenomics” — and then headed to the campaign reception in the city hosted by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D).

Biden’s focus on certain issues during campaign receptions reminds donors about his priorities for the country.

“It also serves the dual goal of giving a refresher course of what is at stake and the fight ahead so that no one gets complacent. He is taking the urgency of now and this election to the base before turning to a different set of challenges. Shows he and the campaign are taking nothing for granted,” Zapien said.

Biden tends to talk more candidly when fundraising. And that has recently led to attention-getting remarks.

While in the Bay Area, he called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator, leading to an angry response from Beijing. In Chevy Chase, Md., he mistakenly said Iraq while referring to Ukraine in remarks.

One Democratic official noted Biden’s reelection announcement in late April was likely timed to give the president enough runway to rack up a strong fundraising haul through the end of the second quarter of the year.

The official noted that the president is also likely to receive a boost once his general election opponent becomes clear, when grassroots donors are likely to feel a greater sense of urgency about defeating the Republican nominee.

The hosts of the fundraisers reflect that deep-pocketed donors are opening up their homes and their wallets early in the campaign cycle to help boost the president.

Biden last week was hosted in Los Gatos, Calif., by LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman and Microsoft’s Kevin Scott, and in Atherton, Calif., by venture capitalist Steve Westly. In Chevy Chase, Md., on Tuesday, the fundraiser was at the home of Susie Gelman, whose grandfather owned Levi Strauss.

In Greenwich, Conn., earlier this month, he was hosted at the home of hedge fund manager Stephen Mandel. And, Biden is reportedly receiving counsel from Jeffrey Katzenberg, a co-founder of DreamWorks SKG and longtime Democratic donor.

“I’m here today to ask you to help me finish the job,” he told donors in Chicago on Wednesday. “We need you. It’s not hyperbole. We need you. And our democracy needs you.”

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