President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign has a formal presence on college campuses earlier than usual for presidential campaigns — part of a plan, aides say, to supercharge support among Biden’s existing student backers and win over younger voters.
It’s an underreported shift in strategy from previous elections that could prove crucial to Biden, who relied on strong support from young voters when he defeated former President Donald Trump in 2020. In the past, formal campus organizing began in the fall semester, but this time, formal relationships with Democratic and allied groups on campuses have been running for a couple of weeks already.
Recent headlines about college students and Biden have focused on vocal disagreements with the president over the war in Gaza and a general ennui among Gen Z voters. The Biden campaign says it has time to win those voters back.