Biden campaign and Jill Biden launch outreach to older Arizona voters with bingo nights, pickleball
While her events will feel like traditional rallies, the campaign also plans to use pickleball events and bingo nights to motivate older voters. First Lady Jill Biden has initiated the campaign outreach to older voters in Arizona, launching the Seniors for Biden-Harris effort. The initiative will include rallies, phone banks, social events like bingo nights and pickleball games. Older adults are more likely than the average American to vote and make up larger shares of the population in key swing states like Arizona. While President Joe Biden is in Italy attending the Group of Seven summit, Jill Biden will travel to four swing states to launch the effort. Her travels will include events in Phoenix and Tucson, where she will also use pickleballs to motivate older voters. The campaign has not yet specified the locations where these events will take place.
Published : 11 months ago by Mitchell Koch, Associated Press in Politics
PHOENIX (AZFamily/AP) — First lady Jill Biden is kicking off her husband’s outreach to older voters, which will blend rallies and phone banks with social events like bingo nights and pickleball games, and two of the events are right here in Arizona.
While President Joe Biden is in Italy attending the Group of Seven summit, the first lady will travel to four swing states to launch the Seniors for Biden-Harris effort. Older adults are more likely than the average American to vote, and they make up larger shares of the population in some key swing states, like Arizona.
Biden, who outperformed previous Democrats with the demographic in 2020, is looking to expand on the gains as his campaign seeks to maximize its chances of defeating former President Donald Trump, the Republican presumptive nominee.
Jill Biden’s travels will take her to several large cities nationwide, including Phoenix and Tucson, the campaign said. While her events will feel like traditional rallies, the campaign also plans to use pickleball events and bingo nights to motivate older voters to help the campaign heading into November.
First lady Biden will be in Tucson for a Bingo event with local seniors at 2 p.m. on Thursday. She will be in Phoenix for another event with local seniors at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The campaign has not yet specified the locations where the events will take place in Phoenix and Tucson.
“Seniors are such a critical part of our coalition, and it is vitally important that we engage them this election cycle because they know President Biden is the only candidate in this race fighting for lower prescription drug and health care costs and to protect and safeguard Medicare and Social Security,” Biden campaign manager Julia Chavez Rodriguez said. “Dr. Biden is both a trusted voice for seniors speaking to the issues that matter most to them and a galvanizing force to activate our supporters ahead of the election.”
Jill Biden had spent much of the last 10 days at a federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware, supporting her son Hunter Biden, who on Tuesday was convicted on federal firearms charges. The swing marks her return to the campaign trail after the trying experience for her family.
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Topics: FLOTUS, Voters