Dr. Jill Biden had a feeling the last two weeks before the midterm elections would be intense.
But instead of shrugging off the multitasking often asked of a first lady—wife, hostess, counselor, parent, party master, initiative maker, messenger, surrogate—she’s leaned into it and now uses her busy schedule to deliver an “I see you” to women voters.
With the exception of teaching two classes a week at Northern Virginia Community College, the first lady’s staff had long ago cleared much of her schedule for the latter part of October and the first week of November, knowing, a senior told CNN adviser to Biden. , Biden will have to be “nimble” in order to engage in the kind of effective growth needed as polls tighten in key races across the country.
As first lady, not only is it easier logistically for Jill Biden to zip in and out of the states — while importantly, her security footprint and size requirements are smaller than those of President Joe Biden — the first ladies are a more pleasant presence in the administration for undecided and independent voters. They historically represent a more accessible surrogate than the candidate himself – Jill Biden at fundraisers likes to step backstage, take a hand-held microphone with her and encourage the audience to come closer.
“One could argue that she is more relatable than Mrs. Bush or Mrs. Obama to female voters who juggle identities as wives and mothers with their roles in the workplace,” said Kathryn Jellison, a history professor at Ohio State University who has studied extensively first. ladies, pointing to the midterm campaign popularity of Laura Bush and Michelle Obama.
Jill Biden has been to several swing states over the past month that her husband has not, including Wisconsin, Georgia, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Arizona, where the first lady will spend Saturday campaigning for Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly. At these stops and events – sometimes as many as three in one day – the first lady uses her “Jill from Philly” persona to connect with voters.
“Like many educators to stay organized, I use to-do lists,” Biden said at a political event this week in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “So this election will be won or lost by where voting is on your to-do list.”
Biden was speaking to a group of mostly teachers, but he could also be speaking to busy moms or dads, for whom having more than one important task a day to focus on is a daily reality.
“Put voting at the top of your to-do list,” he said. “We all have that teacher voice. This makes people stop what they are doing and pay attention. Well, now is the time to use it.”
The “to-do list” theme is a newer addition to the Biden campaign script. he used it at campaign events in New Hampshire and New York in late October and again in Pennsylvania this week. It’s probably in her arsenal for Saturday.
Biden, as of Saturday, has traveled to more than a dozen states over the past month, with occasional appearances on her personal initiatives but largely talking about President Biden and the accomplishments of Democrats in areas where every vote Tuesday will count. Joe Biden traveled to 10 states during the same period, though some more than once.
A DNC spokesperson told CNN, “He has done 11 fundraising events for the DNC. Events, emails, texts and direct mail signed by herself have brought millions of dollars to the DNC to support Democrats up and down the aisle. ”
On Sunday, Jill Biden will be in Houston for an event with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, one of the few ballot appearances she has made. Monday will find Biden in Virginia with Democratic US Rep. Jennifer Wexton, before joining President Biden in Maryland for a campaign event on the eve of the election. On Tuesday, Election Day, Jill Biden will teach her regular class.
Among the first lady’s recurring anecdotes at fundraisers and appearances is the story of a friend she had when she was 17 who was found pregnant and unable to legally obtain an abortion without a psychiatric evaluation for a “mentally incompetent” diagnosis.
Biden says he asked her mother if the girl could stay with them to recover after she was released from the hospital after the procedure, to which Biden’s mom said, “Yes.”
“My mother and I never talked about it again,” he told a group of donors last month at a Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee event held at Jonathan Soros’ New York home. “Secrecy, shame, silence, danger. Even death. That was what that era defined for so many women. So I was shocked when the Dobbs decision came out. For me, it felt like it was devastating. You know, how could we go back to those times?’
With abortion rights among the most important and top-of-the-line issues for voters, it’s largely up to Biden to get that level of personal when speaking on the campaign trail — and it’s another reason Biden is the most in-demand at events .
“I think ‘back in the day’ stories about abortion are always more effective from a woman than a man. So Jill would definitely be more effective than Joe,” Jellison said.
Jill Biden has another, perhaps more subconscious, task to succeed as a campaign surrogate.
Joe Biden turns 80 less than two weeks after Election Day, and his agility and mental acuity are regularly criticized by Republicans, including former President Donald Trump. Biden’s former presidential opponent often plays a video at his rallies to make his successor a gaffe-prone senior citizen.
These reviews have led some to question whether he is too old to be commander-in-chief. But by touting Joe Biden’s accomplishments on behalf of the Democratic Party, Jill Biden, 71, is giving voters an image of someone unfazed by age despite being the nation’s oldest president.
“Her focus was on the record of the Biden administration’s accomplishments, so in that way, it’s a matter of ability and achievement,” Jellison said, “which I’m sure she and others hope will translate into positive fitness indicators. of the president. and mental health”.
