PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama are coming to Philadelphia on Saturday to boost Pennsylvania Democrats just days before crucial elections across the state.
The visit, announced by the Democratic National Committee on Monday, coincides with former President Donald Trump’s previously announced rally for Republican candidates at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe in Western Pennsylvania.
The DNC didn’t announce any specifics on Biden and Obama’s visit beyond it being in Philadelphia.
The current and former presidents will be aiming to help candidates running in the Nov. 8 elections for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House that could reverberate around the country. (Their visits would fall on the same day as a potential World Series Game 7 for the Phillies.)
Biden and Trump could also be previewing a potential rematch of their 2020 presidential race. Pennsylvania will again be a pivotal battleground for whoever runs for president in 2024.
This year, Attorney General Josh Shapiro is the Democratic nominee for governor against Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, while Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is facing celebrity surgeon Mehmet Oz in the U.S. Senate race.
The governor’s race could determine the future of abortion and voting laws in a pivotal swing state, and could decide if Mastriano, a prominent election denier, gains oversight of the state’s election system for the 2024 presidential race.
Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate contest is one of a handful that could decide control of the chamber and significantly influence Biden’s agenda and his nominees. And Pennsylvania is hosting some of the country’s most competitive U.S. House races as Democrats try to hold on to their thin majority there.
Biden has not been widely deployed in key contests, but he has been more active in Pennsylvania, a state he has long prized for both personal and political reasons. He has already headlined a fundraiser for Fetterman and he and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a Pennsylvania Democratic dinner in Philadelphia on Friday.
While both Biden and Trump carry deeply negative ratings, they’re each going to places where they have shown political strength.
In visiting Philadelphia, Biden and Obama will be targeting the city (and its surrounding suburbs) that are a crucial base of Democratic votes.
Similarly, Trump will be visiting a region, Southwestern Pennsylvania, where he racked up big margins in his two runs for president. Trump personally endorsed Oz, so his power as a kingmaker could be reflected by the outcome of that contest. (He also endorsed Mastriano, but well after the gubernatorial nominee appeared poised to win the GOP primary).
Trump previously rallied for Oz and Mastriano in early September in Wilkes-Barre.
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