First lady Jill Biden is gearing up to raise funds for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, working toward securing a second term for her husband.
This year, following her return from a six-day trip abroad, the first lady is embarking on her first solo trip for the 2024 campaign season. She will make a three-day fundraising tour, with stops in New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
The primary focus of her visit will be attending four political events, including two in California’s Bay Area, to generate financial support for the president’s campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and Democratic state party committees.
Additionally, Jill Biden will join Gabrielle Giffords in Los Angeles to commemorate 30 years of anti-gun violence work by the Giffords Law Center. Giffords, a former Arizona congresswoman, survived a gunshot wound to the head during a constituent event in 2011.
Just as she did during the 2020 and 2022 campaigns, the 72-year-old first lady plans to actively engage in the 2024 election cycle.
Her involvement will assist the Democratic Party in strengthening its resources and infrastructure while also reminding supporters of the high stakes involved.
As the president’s approval ratings remain below 50 percent, the first lady is championing the administration’s achievements and legislation, such as COVID-19 relief funds for school reopenings and infrastructure investments.
During the fall of 2022, Jill Biden participated in nearly 40 campaign and fundraising events across more than a dozen states.
She often appeared alongside candidates facing tough reelection battles, effectively standing in for the president, who is nine years her senior.
While Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives, Democrats managed to retain the Senate and gained one additional seat in that chamber.
With her proactive involvement, Jill Biden aims to bolster Democratic support and advance the president’s agenda, reinforcing the importance of electing more Democrats to Congress in the coming election.
Other Democrat Candidates
As more candidates declare their campaigns for 2024, Joe Biden faces not only Republican challengers but several Democrats who hope to take the Oval Office.
In February, 2020 presidential candidate and author Marianne Williamson announced her candidacy, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced several months later in April.
Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, is known as a vaccine skeptic and a critic of corporate influence over politics.
The Democrat candidate has also been vocal about his support for the Constitution, including gun rights.
Kennedy, the nephew of President John F. Kennedy, told The Epoch Times when asked about his stance on gun rights, “I support the Constitution, and that includes the Second Amendment.”
“I’m not going to take anybody’s guns away,” he said. “I think at this point in history all that would do is to increase this toxic polarization … it’s part of our Constitution, the Second Amendment as the Supreme Court has interpreted it.”
The candidate has also been a longtime critic of pharmaceutical products’ potential damage, voicing concern about the role psychiatric drugs might plan in mass shootings.
Kennedy also stated that he would end the Russo–Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible if he won his bid for the presidency. He said he would advocate for the implementation of the Minsk Accords, which sought a peaceful resolution to territorial disputes between Russia and Ukraine.
Republican Candidates
On the Republican side of the political spectrum, former President Donald Trump announced his campaign last November, days after the 2022 midterm elections.
Next came former UN Ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who announced her candidacy in February of 2023, followed just days later by entrepreneur and political commentator Vivek Ramaswamy.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christi, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum have all thrown their hats in the ring within the last few months as Republican contenders.
Talk radio host and 2021 California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence have also said they’d like to have a shot at the presidency.
However, along with Trump, the leading Republican candidate has been Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is already locked in a battle with the former president to take the Republican nomination.
DeSantis is widely thought to be one of the most conservative governors in Florida, taking the initiative to strengthen border security as well as signing into law legislation that bans sensitive topics about sexuality and gender for the classrooms of children in the third grade and below.
The Florida governor has also participated in transporting illegal immigrants to other states, such as California, pointing to their sanctuary jurisdictions as part of the problem in the nation’s illegal immigration crisis.
These notable candidates do not make up the entirety of the presidential field. The Federal Elections Commission lists more than 400 candidates who have filed to run for president and submitted financial reports.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
