President Biden’s re-election campaign has hired eight new pollsters, including those who worked on his 2020 campaign and others who helped Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections. A recent Wall Street Journal poll showed Biden trailing former President Trump in six competitive swing states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada. These states were crucial for Biden’s victory in 2020, but now black, Hispanic, and young voters are showing diminished enthusiasm for him. Despite these poll results, First Lady Jill Biden has insisted that her husband is not losing in all battleground states and is either even or doing better.
The new pollsters hired by the Biden campaign include Celinda Lake, Matt Barreto, Silas Lee, David Binder, John Anzalone, Molly Murphy, Geoff Garin, Jefrey Pollock, and Brenda Lee. Barreto and Lee are expected to focus on turning out black and Hispanic voters, while Anzalone will serve as an adviser rather than the lead pollster this time around. These pollsters bring a wealth of experience from past Democratic campaigns, including presidential and congressional races. The goal of bringing in these experienced pollsters is to build infrastructure and data operations that will help Biden and Vice President Harris secure victory in 2024.
The decision to hire these pollsters comes after the disappointing results of the Wall Street Journal survey, which showed Trump ahead of Biden in key swing states. Pollsters like Garin and Pollock have been credited with crafting Biden’s messaging that labels Republicans as “MAGA Republicans.” This messaging has been a central part of the campaign strategy since 2022 and has been successful in energizing Democratic voters. Bringing in experienced pollsters from past campaigns shows that the Biden-Harris campaign is committed to learning from past successes and failures to secure victory in the upcoming election.
The fact that the Biden campaign has brought in new pollsters suggests a shift in strategy in response to the latest polling numbers. While it is unclear what specific tasks these pollsters will be assigned, their presence indicates a renewed focus on key demographics like black and Hispanic voters. The Trump campaign has not commented on these new hires, but they recently announced Tony Fabrizio as their top pollster. Fabrizio conducted the Wall Street Journal poll and has a history of working for Trump’s super PAC. With both campaigns beefing up their polling operations, the 2024 election is shaping up to be highly competitive and closely watched.
The Biden campaign is making strategic moves to secure victory in the upcoming election by hiring a team of experienced pollsters with a track record of success. These new hires bring expertise in data and polling operations that will help identify key demographics and inform campaign strategy. The decision to bring back pollsters who worked on the 2020 campaign, as well as others who contributed to recent Democratic victories, shows a commitment to learning from past experiences. This focus on building infrastructure and investing in polling and data operations is seen as an essential step towards a successful re-election effort. Both the Biden and Trump campaigns are honing their strategies by hiring top pollsters, setting the stage for a closely fought election in 2024.
