Biden’s Ambitious Re-election Campaign: A $2 Billion Strategy In Collaboration With The DNC

(CTN NEWS) – President Joe Biden is anchoring his bid for re-election on the combined political and financial might of the Democratic National Committee.

As the 2024 contest looms ahead, his campaign aims to raise and allocate approximately $2 billion.

This massive effort will be conducted in close collaboration with both the national and state Democratic parties, with the objective of establishing a unified and coordinated campaign throughout the nation.

The strategy involves strengthening field operations, mobilizing volunteers, optimizing data organizations, and fostering a seamless collaboration to champion Biden and fellow Democratic candidates down the ballot.

Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden’s campaign manager, emphasized the groundbreaking nature of their approach, stating that the president is revolutionizing the traditional concept of a re-election campaign.

The deep partnership with the DNC remains a central aspect of their strategy, and they are committed to demonstrating resounding success through various performance metrics.

Contrasting Strategies: Biden’s Approach to DNC Fundraising vs. Obama and Trump

The current strategy sets itself apart from how the previous Democratic president, Barack Obama, approached the DNC.

Obama largely avoided the party’s conventional fundraising structure and instead sought funds through his own groups, leveraging his personal star power.

Unfortunately, this approach left the DNC in a state of financial depletion and debt.

In contrast, Julie Chavez Rodriguez referred to the current strategy as a “one-team, one-fight mentality,” enabling Democrats to raise funds more efficiently than Biden’s campaign alone could achieve.

Simultaneously, this approach allows the re-election effort to keep staffing and logistical expenses low by relying on the financial support of state and national parties to cover those costs.

Consequently, the party remains unified both politically and financially in support of Biden, which stands in contrast to the contentious primary battles among Republican presidential candidates.

However, President Donald Trump took a different approach, avoiding significant primary challengers and forming a partnership with the Republican National Committee, resulting in a fundraising haul of over $1 billion in 2020, despite not winning re-election.

In contrast, the Democrats’ model for the 2024 campaign requires Biden’s team to rely more heavily on state parties in major states where Republicans have historically dominated recent elections.

Nonetheless, Rodriguez highlighted the Democrats’ achievements in the 2022 midterm races.

During that time, the DNC invested $95 million in campaigns across the country, enabling the party’s candidates to defy historical precedent by retaining control of the Senate and narrowly missing out on the House.

This spending amount was significantly higher than the committee’s previous record of $42 million during the 2010 midterm cycle.

DNC’s Post-2020 Campaign Strategies and Fundraising Innovations

Following Biden’s 2020 campaign, the national party received valuable supporter and fundraising data after Inauguration Day in 2021. Subsequently, the DNC expanded its volunteer list to 250,000 people spanning all 50 states.

Rodriguez explained that the committee is actively developing and testing new precision online targeting tools to effectively engage with voters on social media, with a particular focus on young individuals and people of color.

The DNC has implemented new systems to empower its volunteers in engaging voters effectively.

These systems enable volunteers to share localized content, bolstering phone banking and texting initiatives, they have introduced “relational organizing,” which helps existing volunteers reach out to people closest to them for potential organizing efforts.

This move is aimed at ensuring that national and state parties can maintain regular communication with voters throughout the year, depending on available resources.

Sam Cornale, the executive director of the DNC, expressed that this effort will lead to a significant increase in state party payrolls as they scale up their operations.

With the support of the Biden Victory Fund, the DNC and the president’s affiliated fundraising arm can raise approximately $1 million annually from individual donors.

In contrast, Biden’s reelection campaign itself is limited to collecting $6,600 per donor per year.

Cornale and Rodriguez have been actively involved in fundraising efforts, with reelection campaign staffers currently working from the DNC’s headquarters in Washington until the official base in Wilmington, Delaware, opens later this year.

present, the reelection campaign has a modest payroll of fewer than 10 individuals, as they focus on strategic investments and controlled growth.

DNC Staff Expansion and Early Preparations for the 2024 Approach

The DNC staff has experienced significant expansion, now consisting of over 300 members, double its size compared to the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections.

Looking ahead to the 2024 approach, national Democrats have already started laying the groundwork in key Wisconsin state races.

The DNC has sent fundraising emails bearing Biden’s signature for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, and they have organized in-state robocalls with the support of South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, a close ally of the president.

In a separate move, Obama established his own political operation called Organizing for America, aiming to build upon the success of his 2008 campaign that resonated with swing voters who may have felt disconnected from traditional party structures.

This step was taken amid concerns about the DNC’s close alignment with Hillary Clinton during Obama’s presidential primary race.

However, DNC and state party chairs expressed concerns about competing with Organizing for America for donors.

The group underwent several changes and eventually became part of the DNC, but it remained burdened with millions of dollars in debt until 2019.

Jim Messina, who managed Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, revealed that they secured joint fundraising agreements, which allowed for increased donor limits, with Democratic parties in 10 battleground states, as well as New York and California.

In contrast, Biden’s 2024 campaign has agreements with all 50 states.

Messina pointed out that Biden has always been more aligned with traditional Democratic values compared to Obama, who had to build a grassroots movement outside the DNC due to his primary battle with Hillary Clinton, who had influence over the committee.

Biden Campaign and DNC’s Fundraising Progress and Future Strategy

Since announcing his reelection, the Biden campaign and DNC jointly raised $72-plus million in a span of 10 weeks.

Although this amount trailed behind the $85.6 million that Obama raised during the April-to-June quarter in 2011, Messina praised the campaign’s financial discipline, highlighting their cash-on-hand of $77 million on June 30.

Early Biden 2024 TV spots and advertisements on issues like defending abortion rights were covered by the DNC. Additionally, the DNC financed the president’s fundraising events.

Biden’s first campaign rally in June involved powerful unions that independently covered the event’s costs.

Keith Ellison, former DNC deputy chair and Minnesota’s attorney general, acknowledged the DNC’s progress, stating that it is in a better position than it was five to ten years ago.

However, he emphasized the need for the committee to maintain its independence from the current president and avoid becoming too closely aligned with the incumbent’s interests.

Ellison also stressed the importance of state parties making significant strides, especially in areas like New York, where Republican victories in midterm House races contributed to the GOP’s recapture of the chamber.

The DNC’s future strategy involves relying more on state parties, necessitating coordination with officials in solidly Republican states like Texas, or former battlegrounds that have shifted towards Republican dominance, such as Ohio and Florida.

Some political strategists remain optimistic, citing recent victories for Democrats in places like Jacksonville, Florida.

While some argue that Florida Democrats might be too weak to meet the DNC’s needs, others believe that the committee should not give up on the state and its potential as a battleground.

Despite a recent strategy memo excluding Texas, Texas Democratic Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa was informed by the DNC that the state would indeed be a battleground.

He mentioned that, until now, the party had not received enough financial support from the DNC. The future role of Texas in the DNC’s strategy will depend on how the political landscape evolves in the state.

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