Wilmington as Biden's 2024 campaign HQ? Here's what staffers will find and should expect.

It's no secret President Joe Biden loves his hometown of Wilmington, often escaping the White House on weekends for the more homey confines of Delaware.

And now his campaign staffers will get a chance to discover the city on their own if media reports are confirmed that his 2024 election headquarters will be based in Wilmington.

More: 'Let's finish the job': President Joe Biden announces much awaited 2024 reelection bid

That's right. It looks like the battle for Biden to remain leader of the free world will put Wilmington "In the Middle of it All," as the city motto goes.

After hosting the locked-down campaign, which was officially based in Philadelphia, and the Democratic National Convention during the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, it won't be an entirely new feel for Wilmington to be swarmed by a presidential campaign.

Today's Wilmington won't feel like exile

The timing couldn't be better for Delaware's largest city of 70,000 if it hosts a fully powered presidential campaign.

In recent decades, both downtown and the Riverfront have been the scene of millions of dollars of investment, transforming the one-time sleepy city into a place where Beltway politicos *just* might be able to survive.

Take Wilmington's restaurant scene for example. It is arguably the best it’s ever been, especially for visitors used to more adventurous big-city dining rooms.

The Bidens have led the way as customers of three of downtown's finest eateries. Both have dined at Bardea Food & Drink and the new Quoin Hotel & Restaurant, while Jill Biden has had a meal at La Fia in the past.

Not yet confirmed, but reported by CNN and The New York Times

Word of Wilmington as Biden's reelection campaign location was first reported last week by Jeff Zeleny, CNN's chief national affairs correspondent.

More: It was a moment that inspired an F Bomb. Biden celebrates 13 years of Affordable Care Act.

"Biden’s campaign headquarters will be based in Wilmington, Delaware, a decision the president personally signed off on this month, aides said, as a nod to the pride in his hometown and the place where he spends most of his weekends," he reported April 20. "Also under consideration was Philadelphia, where his 2020 campaign was based until the coronavirus pandemic turned it into a virtual office. But Wilmington will be at least the nominal home base of his reelection effort, with a split screen to the White House."

On Tuesday as Biden's reelection campaign was announced, the New York Times' Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent, also pointed to Wilmington as Biden homebase for 2024.

"Even as Mr. Biden put off a formal kickoff to his re-election bid, his team had been quietly making plans for the coming campaign. Top advisers such as Anita Dunn, Steven J. Ricchetti and Jennifer O’Malley Dillon will oversee the campaign from the White House even though the operation’s formal headquarters will almost certainly be in Wilmington, Del., under [2024 campaign manager Julie] Chavez Rodriguez’s direction," he wrote.

A month ago, Reuters reported Wilmington as the likely headquarters under the headline, "Biden team eyes Delaware for 2024 campaign HQ."

"Biden, who has said he intends to run for re-election but has yet to make a formal announcement, travels regularly on weekends to Wilmington, making it a natural place for political work outside of the White House in Washington," the article read.

At the time, the White House responded by saying, “We’re aware that there is no deficit of people who speculate, but very few individuals are actually knowledgeable about any of this."

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki's office declined to comment Tuesday on the media reports.

Not everyone in Bidenworld will be happy if Wilmington wins out over Philly

While a vibrant dining scene will greet Biden campaign workers, it may not be enough for some to get over Wilmington besting the more cultivated Philadelphia, the sixth biggest city in the country and home to 1.5 million.

Back in December, some in Bidenworld went off the record to Politico grumbling about the possibility of being based (banished?) in the First State under the headline "Dela-really?"

More: 'Please let it not be in Wilmington': Some pushback around possible Biden '24 campaign HQ

One Democratic aide anonymously quoted said, “The general vibe is, ‘Please let it not be in Wilmington.' People would be really excited about D.C., relatively excited about Philadelphia, and people would be really disappointed if it were in Wilmington.”

In the same piece, Democratic strategist James Carville didn't expect a revolt if Biden '24 called Wilmington home. After all, they want jobs.

"At the end of the day, guess what they’re all going to do? Move to Wilmington," Carville told them.

What they will find

For some of Biden's campaign team, Wilmington is already familiar considering the 2020 group spent plenty of time in Wilmington as the pandemic swept across the globe.

Biden based himself back home in Greenville and used Wilmington's infrastructure to run his successful campaign against former President Donald Trump.

More: 'Bow to your queen!' Aubrey Plaza uses SNL monologue to remind Biden who rules Delaware

He gave an update about COVID-19 at Hotel du Pont, gave numerous press conferences at The Queen and took over Chase Center on the Riverfront (and its parking lot) to celebrate his victory with his family and Vice President Kamala Harris.

But this time around, Wilmington will be fully open, out from under the COVID-19 pandemic.

More seasoned staffers will probably find themselves at the aforementioned Bardea, La Fia and Quoin, along with other more refined standouts such as Hotel du Pont's Le Cavalier, Tonic Seafood & Steak and Eclipse Bistro.

We can envision them possibly even staying in town on weekends to take strolls along the Riverfront, catching a film at Penn Cinema Riverfront 14 + IMAX or trying out the Jack A. Markell Trail. Although, a 40-minute drive to Philadelphia or a two-hour train ride back home to their families in Washington, D.C., may lure them away.

For the younger crowd, the Riverfront's Constitution Yards Beer Garden with its large outdoor deck and view of the Christina River should be a draw. Downtown, The Queen and The Grand could bring in some music fans, as well as Orange Street's if-you-know-you-know jazz bar Nomad.

And across town, the dense nightlife district in the city's Trolley Square area with 10 bars in three blocks is prime for staffers looking to let loose, leaving their business suits behind.

What we should expect

During the Biden campaign's time in Delaware last time around, the Wilmington area got a Biden bump and plenty of attention even with the city zipped up pretty tight.

Harris dined at Montchanin's Krazy Kat's restaurant, Wilmington Brew Works got some free publicity on national television when Fox News' Peter Doocy hoisted a four-pack of Biden beer dubbed Rail Car One on air, and an array of restaurants, hotels and other businesses got a boost in business from the campaign.

Harris and her family stayed at The Inn at Montchanin Village & Spa, located on the same property as Krazy Kat's with the campaign paying $67,670 for the stay, according to campaign finance reports.

The reports shed light on other spending, perhaps hinting at where more campaign spending could be headed over the next 1½ years.

Hotels such as The Westin Wilmington ($67,155), Homewood Suites ($50,180) and Wilmington Riverfront Hotel XXXIV LLC, an LLC registered to the Buccini/Pollin Group ($26,313), all got in on the feeding frenzy. So did Platinum Dining Group's Italian restaurant Capers & Lemons with a $2,501 tab and Janssen's Market, the Greenville gourmet grocer on Kennett Pike, which accounted for $1,367 in spending.

This time around hotels and restaurants surely will earn more of that campaign cash. And the roads may boast a few more Washington, D.C., license plates, too.

We're already used to "Joe Jam" traffic backups when Biden is in town and the same should be expected as he continues to toggle between his Greenville home and the White House.

But with the pandemic eased, some things will be different this time around.

The Queen likely will be busy with concerts and weddings, not allowing it to be Biden's defacto press room. And the Chase Center has its own events scheduled.

So what will Biden's second presidential campaign based in Wilmington look like exactly? No one really knows, perhaps including the campaign itself as it is on Day One of its 18-month marathon to Election Day.

Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and Twitter (@ryancormier).

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Some pushed for Philadelphia. Biden decided to bring it back home, it seems.