Biden, Harris to Hit Pennsylvania Campaign Trail in Late October

Nancy Cook
·1 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Philadelphia on Oct. 28 for an event with the state’s Democratic Party, less than two weeks before the crucial midterm elections.

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It’s the second of two scheduled trips Biden has in the coming weeks to Pennsylvania, which is shaping up to be a key battleground for Democrats fighting to hold on to their slim congressional majorities.

On Oct. 20, the president is slated to appear with John Fetterman, the Democratic candidate for the US Senate, who is locked in a tight race with Republican candidate and celebrity TV doctor Mehmet Oz.

The two are running for the seat held by retiring Republican Senator Pat Toomey in a state that backed former President Donald Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Before it tightened, the race was seen as one of Democrats’ best chances to pick up a Senate seat. The Cook Political Report this month changed its rating for the race from “lean Democrat” to a “toss up.”

Fetterman’s campaign has faltered in recent weeks, as he recovers from a stroke he suffered in May and tries to convince voters he is healthy enough to serve in office. Republicans have also put more resources into the state to bolster Oz, who has Trump’s endorsement.

Democrats are defending their majority in the Senate, even though the incumbent president’s party typically loses seats in midterm elections. Races in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada have become close in what pundits are describing as one of the most unpredictable election cycles in recent history.

Some Democratic candidates have been reluctant to appear along the president, given his low approval rating.

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