‘He Told Me to Get Past It’: Biden’s Close Friend and Philly’s Dem Party Leader Turns His Operation to Harris

Biden’s longtime friend runs one of the most important local Democratic parties in politics. His members are glad he’s come around to Harris. Now, he has to figure out how to usher in a historic turnout.

Election 2024 Biden AP-24109592948990

President Joe Biden and former Rep. Bob Brady speak almost once a week. Alex Brandon/AP

PHILADELPHIA – Everything was exactly the same as always but also completely different inside the state Democratic Party’s HQ, where every week, elected leaders, ward leaders, volunteers, majordomos and free food aficionados gather to eat pizza and freely share their ideas on how to win the most votes possible in the city of brotherly love.

These are the Democrats who actually do the house-to-house, cajole-by-cajole work of pulling out voters in a swing state like Pennsylvania.

“I’m here from the Biden campaign,” one operative, a regular, said before their face blanked out in that way it does when a person realizes they just confidently proclaimed it the wrong day of the week in conversation with a stranger. “Harris campaign, fuck.”