Jill Biden stumps for Magaziner, McKee to get out the vote in the homestretch

First Lady Jill Biden logged a whirlwind visit to Rhode Island on Wednesday to campaign for Democrats facing tough competition in the general election – Seth Magaziner and Gov. Dan McKee.

"These fights feel enormous," she said in the ballroom of Graduate Providence hotel during one of several stops. "And there are lives on the line, but they come down to small moments: One ballot cast. One phone call to a neighbor who maybe forgot to vote."

More than 100 attendees included state lawmakers, Democratic candidates and members of the congressional delegation, who raised alarm over the political risks of Republican Allan Fung winning a seat in the state's Second Congressional District – a hard-fought race he's running against Magaziner, the Democratic general treasurer.

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Gov. Dan McKee also tried to rally enthusiasm for his campaign against Republican Ashley Kalus, a political newcomer who is now attempting to gain traction with Democrats.

"Let's get out the vote," McKee said, adding that voters need to "hold onto this momentum that we want to keep" and make "a clean sweep."

He also touted his relationship with President Joe Biden.

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"I've been in the Oval Office," McKee said. "The president has been on calls with me from dealing with snowstorms ... governors up and down the East Coast."

"We cannot let Rhode Island be the place to tip the balance to [potential House Speaker Kevin] McCarthy," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, saying that Social Security and Medicare would be at risk, along with any progress battling climate change.

Magaziner delivered a similar message focused on what he described as "extremists on the right," reflecting back on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, during which Republicans voted to overturn the presidential election results.

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Shortly after Biden's visit to Providence, she hopped over to Cranston, where she stumped for Magaziner at the Santa Maria di Prata Society. Biden waxed nostalgic about childhood visits to her Italian grandparents’ home in New Jersey, “waking up to the smell of warm Italian bread – you know that smell, right?”

The ziti-and-meatball dinner at the Italian social club drew a packed house, including a number of local elected officials, and chants of “Seth! Seth! Seth!” broke out after Biden concluded her speech.

Also speaking at the event was Sen. Jack Reed, a Cranston native who informed Biden that the Knightsville neighborhood was settled by immigrants from Itri, Italy, “so you’re right at home.” (Biden’s grandfather emigrated from Italy — “not Itri, but close enough,” Reed said.)

Turning back to the issue at hand, Reed praised outgoing U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin and told the crowd, “We have to keep that effort, that intellect, that integrity in the United States Congress, and that’s why we’re here for Seth Magaziner tonight.”

“It’s not just about an individual’s candidacy,” he added. “It’s about the future of our country, really.”

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Magaziner expressed confidence to reporters at the event, saying, “We already see more Democrats tuning in.”

Asked if he expects other high-profile figures to come to Rhode Island to campaign for him, Magaziner said, “Maybe. I don’t know ... My focus is on talking to Rhode Islanders who are going to decide this election.”

He said that Biden’s visit was a “great sign” that Rhode Island has strong connections in Washington and that if he is elected, “we will be able to get resources that we deserve.”

On the same day, Fung also brought some Washington star power to New England with a Boston fundraiser held by Rep. Steve Scalise. Fung previously saw visits from top House Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Jason Smith.

Biden’s visit came as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a poll from its analytics arm showing Magaziner and Fung neck-and-neck, both at 48% with 5% undecided. That was according to a survey of 812 likely voters from Sunday to Monday, contacted via phone.

New Democratic poll:Seth Magaziner and Allan Fung curreently neck-and-neck. Here's the breakdown.

However, other past polling showed Fung ahead of Magaziner. A WPRI survey showed the Republican leading by six points while a Boston Globe/Suffolk University survey showed him leading by eight points.

Biden isn't the only federal figure to make a local visit in recent days. Last weekend, Labor Secretary and former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh stumped for Magaziner, warning that the race puts "a lot at stake for the future of our country."

The close race has attracted national attention in outlets such as Politico and The New York Times, which cited "growing signs that voters are poised to punish President Biden’s party even in the bluest parts of America."

Kalus' campaign has seized that moment. In a statement, Kalus took a swipe at McKee's visits from Washington.

"Desperate campaigns do desperate things," she said. "Bringing DC insiders to Rhode Island for the second time in a matter of days highlights just how nervous Dan McKee is becoming. He knows momentum is on our side and the walls are closing in."

The Republican National Committee offered the same rhetoric, claiming the visit "shows exactly how vulnerable Dan McKee and Seth Magaziner have become thanks to Democrats' failed track record."

"Ocean State families are suffering under complete Democrat control, and Rhode Islanders know that mere photo ops won't put food on the table, fill gas tanks, or heat homes," the committee said.

Education also takes center stage

Biden delivered a timely message on education as the state and the nation at large face a teacher shortage. Before her events in Providence and Cranston, Biden stopped at Rhode Island College, where a packed house of students and faculty greeted her.

Biden, a teacher, urged students to "join us as we change the world one student at a time," noting that she became a teacher after volunteering as an adult-literacy coach, realizing that "reading was a gift I could give to someone else."

"Many of you may hear that voice calling," she added. "Schools across the country need more teachers .... On behalf of the president and educators, I'm here to recruit you."

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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: First Lady Jill Biden swings through RI to stump for McKee, Magaziner