Politics

US Midterms:Jill Biden Circles The country In Last Scramble For Votes

Published

2 years ago

Nov 7, 2022.

Dr. Jill Biden had a feeling the final two weeks before midterm elections would be intense. But rather than balk at the multitasking often asked of a first lady – spouse, hostess, adviser, parent, party planner, initiative-builder, messenger, surrogate – she has leaned into it, and is now using her packed schedule to deliver an “I see you” to female voters.

Eko Hot Blog Reports that with the exception of teaching her two classes per 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, as one senior Biden adviser said, Biden would need to be “nimble” in order to participate in the sort of effective deployment required as polls tighten in key races around the country.

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As first lady, not only is it easier logistically for Jill Biden to zip in and out of states – while substantial, her security footprint and requirements are less in terms of size than those of President Joe Biden. First Ladies are a more palatable administration presence for undecided and independent voters. They historically represent a more approachable surrogate than the candidate himself. Jill Biden at fundraisers likes to step out from behind the podium, taking a handheld microphone with her, and encourage audiences to get closer.

“One might even argue that she is more relatable than Mrs. Bush or Mrs. Obama to women voters who are juggling identities as wives and mothers with their workplace role,” said Katherine Jellison, a history professor at Ohio University who has extensively studied first ladies, pointing to the midterm campaign popularity of Laura Bush and Michelle Obama.

Jill Biden has been to several swing states in the last month that her husband has not, including Wisconsin, Georgia, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Arizona, where the first lady will spend her Saturday stumping for Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly. It is at these stops and events – sometimes up to three in one day – that the first lady uses her “Jill from Philly” persona to connect with voters.

“Like a lot of educators to stay organized, I use to-do lists,” said Biden at a political event this week in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “So, this election is going to be won or lost by where voting falls on your to-do list.”

Biden was speaking to a group of mostly teachers, but she could have also been speaking to busy moms or dads, for whom having more than one important task per day on which to focus is a daily reality.