In the heart of President Joe Biden’s reelection HQ, there's a sign boasting the campaign's major milestones: Pennsylvania, 24; Michigan, 30; Wisconsin, 44. Nope, these aren't poll numbers; they're the growing tally of campaign offices already up and running in these battleground states. It's a rare bright spot in Biden's rematch with former President Donald Trump and shows how the campaign is flexing its fundraising muscles to create a whole new operation from four years ago.
“Our job right now is to set up shop in all the places we need to win,” says Dan Kanninen, the Biden campaign’s battleground states director. “These states have razor-thin margins, and I want to press the advantage against Donald Trump. They haven't built field infrastructure or had a presence in these states.”
Fast forward four years after the pandemic shook up the 2020 presidential race, and Kanninen, along with a growing team of advisers, is sending a clear message: This ain't your average Biden basement campaign.
Picture this: a sprawling organization, a mix of brick-and-mortar offices and cutting-edge tech to connect people, all in stark contrast to Biden’s Zoom calls and drive-in rallies of 2020.
“We're not idling by,” Kanninen says, nodding to Trump's hush-hush trial in New York that's kept him off the campaign trail lately. “Building infrastructure, staffing up, and having a cash advantage is our game plan.”
With the upcoming race likely to swing on tens of thousands of votes in a handful of states, the strength of the dueling campaign operations is taking center stage six months before the election. GOP insiders in battleground states tell CNN that Trump is lagging far behind what the Biden team is putting together, citing fundraising and local organizing disadvantages.
But a Trump adviser brushes off those concerns, insisting that they have what it takes to win. “We've got the message, the operation, and the money,” says Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokeswoman. “Our team is expanding daily, and we're focused on turning out votes.”
While the battleground map and major candidates might be the same as in 2020, this race is anything but a rerun. Unique issues are driving the conversation, and Biden's campaign is on a whole other level compared to four years ago, when they had to close their Philadelphia headquarters due to the pandemic.
“It's back to the basics, knocking on doors the old-fashioned way,” Biden told volunteers and staffers at a Democratic office in Milwaukee. “No, really.”
As he crisscrosses the nation, Biden makes stops at field offices that didn’t exist four years ago, radiating confidence in the operation bearing his name.
“We're going to win again,” Biden tells campaign staffers, drawing enthusiastic applause during a stop in Nevada. “But you're the ones who'll make it happen. It's about connecting with voters face-to-face.”
The traditional campaign office is making a comeback – 133 and counting – much to the joy of loyal Biden volunteers like Ann Glass, who attended the opening of the Philadelphia office.
“During the 2020 election, we canvassed, knocking on doors, keeping our distance. Now, we can have real face-to-face contact,” Glass says. “We did good four years ago. We can do even better this time.”
The Biden campaign is crafting a hybrid campaigning system, blending lessons from before and after the pandemic to take political organizing to new heights. And one big lesson is clear: build more and better campaign offices.
“I'm amazed by how great it looks,” says Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden's campaign manager, at the opening of a downtown Philadelphia office. “The president often jokes that he hasn't had offices this nice, but we know it's crucial.”
Setting up field offices in places like Lancaster County, Pennsylvania – where Biden lost big to Trump in 2020 and likely will again – not only boosts the president’s visibility but also aims to narrow his margin of defeat.
“We want to be wherever there's a chance to win a voter,” says Kanninen. “You have to compete in places where you might not usually win, but you want to lose by a little instead of a lot. Having volunteers connecting with folks in real ways at these offices makes a big difference.”
Despite the challenges facing Biden in this tough contest with Trump, a robust organization is meant to level the playing field and give the president an edge. Even Democrats who've been critical of Biden privately see the campaign's size as a key strength.
With Biden's principal campaign committee sitting on $88.5 million in April, compared to Trump's $45.1 million, it's clear they're playing in different leagues.
“The advantage we have in terms of time, infrastructure, and cash is something we want to capitalize on everywhere,” says Kanninen. “This isn't something you can build overnight. It takes months of work, and the Trump campaign can't buy that time back.”
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