Biden team enlists top Democrats in early bid for campaign unity
‘Advisory board’ of party stars asked to speak and travel on president’s behalf, in part to minimize potential for dissent
Biden aides said some Democrats are still being asked to join the effort, but they have already enlisted more than 20 national figures. They include such influential governors as Gavin Newsom of California, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Wes Moore of Maryland, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Phil Murphy of New Jersey.
Some of the recruits represent the party’s left flank, with which Biden has had a mostly friendly but sometimes uneasy relationship, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.).
The effort comes as the president’s inner circle faces sensitive decisions on who will run the campaign, where its headquarters will be and what city will host the party’s 2024 political convention.
One of the goals of the unity effort, Biden’s aides said, is to showcase the diversity among the party’s stars. They hope to tamp down internal divisions during what could be a turbulent election, especially as many in the group are former or future presidential candidates. The aides spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not been officially announced.
Rounding out the advisory board are longtime Biden allies, including Sen Christopher A. Coons (Del.) and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.), as well as Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.) and Rep. Veronica Escobar (Tex.). New York Mayor Eric Adams and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass are also part of the group.
Khanna emphasized the need to communicate Biden’s achievements, which polls suggest many Americans do not see.
“The president has had some of the most historic achievements in bringing back manufacturing jobs and helping the working and middle class in the last 50 years,” he said. “Our challenge is to get that message out to factory towns, to rural communities and communities of color. We need 20, 30 surrogates from the party going out there in communities, telling stories to communicate this vision.”
Biden may be especially sensitive to the need for unity given that the Democrats’ last presidential primary was a free-for-all with more than two dozen candidates, pitting some of the party’s top figures against each other. Biden took his share of criticism; in one searing debate, then-Sen. Kamala D. Harris accused him of racial insensitivity, a rift that took some time to heal.
The early unity effort is also a way to signal to various party factions that Biden is sensitive to their concerns, including young people worried about his age (he turned 80 last year).
“By pulling people into his campaign, he will show that he is going to tap the ideas, the passion, the energy of the next generation of Democratic thinkers and leaders,” Khanna said. “That gives him a sense of statesmanship, where people will say he’s the captain that can draw on all the resources and help lead our country and party.”
The White House and the DNC declined to comment on the advisory board.
Biden has yet to officially declare his reelection bid, but he has made it clear he intends to run. Asked by reporters Thursday when he will announce his candidacy, he shot back, “When I announce it.”
In a recent ABC News interview, Biden said his “intention has been from the beginning to run, but there’s too many other things we have to finish in the near term before I start a campaign.” First lady Jill Biden echoed those comments, telling the Associated Press during a trip to Kenya that her husband is “just not done.” She added, “How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it?”
Biden aides said the surrogate program is modeled on a similar effort during Barack Obama’s reelection effort, adding that they wanted to start the process earlier.
The president is not expected to face a serious challenge for the Democratic nomination; only Marianne Williamson, an author and activist who ran for the Democratic nomination in 2020, has announced a long-shot bid. Still, some Democrats have expressed concerns about Biden’s age — he would be 86 at the end of a second term.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll from last month found that among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 58 percent say they would prefer someone other than Biden as the nominee in 2024 — nearly double the 31 percent who support him. Among all Americans, the poll that found more than 6 in 10 Americans (62 percent) say they would be “dissatisfied” or “angry” if Biden were reelected in 2024.
During the midterm elections, some Democrats distanced themselves from the president, noting in many cases that their approval ratings were higher than his. But Biden’s string of legislative victories, a far-better-than-expected midterm and a clear determination to run again have dampened the prospect of challenges from within the party.
Republicans, in contrast, appear to be heading for a hard-fought, potentially bitter primary. Former president Donald Trump and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley have announced their candidacies and begun taking shots at each other, while figures such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wait in the wings.
Biden’s team hopes to take advantage of that dissension as long as possible by appearing to be above the fray.
The surrogate effort is not the only way Biden is trying to lock in Democratic unity. Over the past two days, he has sought to rally the party during two gatherings — first with House Democrats at a retreat in Baltimore, then with Senate Democrats during a lunch at the U.S. Capitol.
He pointedly praised the Democratic lawmakers for staying united over the past two years, telling House members, “It’s been one of the most successful, united caucuses we’ve ever seen.” He talked about recent electoral wins, including in a recent special election in Virginia. “We stuck together — we really did,” he said, emphasizing several more times that Democrats “stuck together.”
Biden also brought up Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), an incendiary figure who unites Democrats of all stripes — and, Biden contended, many Republicans — against her. “A little bit more Marjorie Taylor Greene … and you’re going to have a lot of Republicans running our way,” he said before pausing. “Isn’t she amazing? Oof.”
But even in front of these partisan audiences, Biden tried to keep some of the bipartisan tone he used during the 2020 election, saying House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) “seemed like a decent guy” and predicting he could get additional bipartisan legislation passed.
Democrats are also expected to decide this month where to host their 2024 convention. Atlanta, Chicago and New York are the three finalists, though Democrats close to the process say the decision probably will come down to Atlanta or Chicago. Many Democrats view Atlanta as the smarter political choice given Georgia’s electoral importance, and there are concerns that Chicago’s crime issues could play into Republicans’ criticism of Democratic-led cities.
But in Chicago, Pritzker, a billionaire, has assured national Democrats that the host committee will not have any issues raising money for the convention, which can cost up to $100 million. And Democrats who support Chicago’s bid argue it would help the party in crucial Midwestern states.
The president and his aides also face decisions on who will lead the reelection effort and where to locate the campaign’s headquarters. Aides say it probably will be based in Wilmington, Del., or Philadelphia, although Washington has not been ruled out.
Biden wanted to base his 2020 presidential campaign in Wilmington, but he was convinced by aides that it would be easier to recruit talented staffers to move to Philadelphia during a competitive primary. This time, some senior advisers think Biden is less likely to be swayed by such arguments, and they note Wilmington is cheaper than Philadelphia, as well as closer to Washington.
Biden and his team have still not settled on a campaign manager, and aides said they expect to announce a slate of senior leaders once the campaign is launched. In addition to a manager, they expect to name people to oversee communications, fundraising and digital efforts.
Anita Dunn, a Biden senior adviser, and Jen O’Malley Dillon, a White House deputy chief of staff, are leading the campaign planning from the White House, and they have consulted various Democratic officials in recent weeks about their interest in working on the campaign.
Three of Biden’s closest and longest-serving aides — Mike Donilon, Bruce Reed and Steve Ricchetti — are expected to be deeply involved in the president’s reelection effort, and Ron Klain, the recently departed chief of staff, and Kate Bedingfield, who served as White House communications director until this week, are expected to advise the campaign as well.
Klain signaled his intentions last month at an event marking his farewell to the White House, when he told Biden, “As I did in 1988, 2008 and 2020, I look forward to being on your side when you run for president in 2024.”
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