Biden, Harris To Make Stops In Chicago In Support Of Illinois Dems

CHICAGO — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are both expected to make stops in the Chicago area in the coming days to stump for fellow Democrats locked into tight races as Tuesday’s mid-term election approaches.

Biden is scheduled to make appearances in the suburbs on Friday, the White House announced on Wednesday, and is expected to join Gov. J.B. Pritzker in events designed to encourage Democrats to get out to vote on Tuesday. The events are pushing for voter turnout within the party to support Reps. Sean Casten, Lauren Underwood and Bill Foster, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The newspaper reported that local campaigns have been advised that Biden and Harris will be making Chicago-area stops and that Biden’s stay may extend into Saturday.

Casten, a Downers Grove Democrat, is locked into a fight with Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, while Foster, the Naperville politician, is facing Republican Catalina Lauf of Woodstock in the 11th District while Underwood (14th District) seeks re-election against Scott Gryder.

The Sun-Times reported that Harris will arrive in Chicago on Sunday and will appear at an Asian American and Pacific Islander event in Chicago, where U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth is also scheduled to appear two days before she faces re-election against Mundelein attorney Kathy Salvi.

Biden has begun making more appearances in recent days on behalf of Democrats. The president was at a campaign rally on Wednesday in Florida and is scheduled to make stops in New Mexico on Thursday before arriving in Chicago on Friday.

Former President Barack Obama has been also been stumping for Democrats in key states such as Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania ahead of Tuesday's general election as Democrats attempt to win races, while Biden's approval rating has been slipping due to his handling of the economy and other key issues.

Earlier this month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also appeared at a roundtable on women’s reproductive rights on behalf of Casten.

There has been no official announcement of what Biden’s schedule will look like once he arrives or how long he will stay, but White House officials said on Wednesday that Biden deems it necessary to hit the campaign trail on behalf of his fellow Democrats.

“The American public has a choice,” press secretary Carine Jean-Pierre said during a White House briefing on Wednesday. “And that choice is very clear: Do you want congressional Democrats and a president that’s working every day to deliver for the American people, or do you want congressional Republicans who are doing the complete opposite, who want to increase energy costs, who want to increase your health care premiums?

“And we feel that there are many places where he can have that conversation. There are many places where it’s going to be important for the American people to hear directly from the president of the United States.”