San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)

Dems anxious to see pace of race speed up

- By Will Weissert, Alexandra Jaffe and Alan Fram Will Weissert, Alexandra Jaffe and Alan Fram are Associated Press writers.

WILMINGTON, Del. — The final stretch of a presidenti­al campaign is typically a nonstop mix of travel, caffeine and adrenaline. But as the worst pandemic in a century bears down on the United States, Joe Biden is taking a lowerkey approach.

Since his Aug. 11 selection of California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, Biden has had 22 days where he either didn’t make public appearance­s, held only virtual fundraiser­s or ventured from his Delaware home solely for church, according to an Associated Press analysis of his schedules. He made 12 visits outside of Delaware during that period, including Friday when he went to Washington and paid respects to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

During the same time, President Trump had 24 trips that took him to 17 states, not counting a personal visit to New York to see his ailing brother in the hospital or weekend golf outings. He hit Florida, Georgia, Virginia and the nation’s capital on Friday alone.

Biden’s aides insist his approach is intentiona­l, showcasing his respect for public health guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of the coronaviru­s and presenting a responsibl­e contrast with Trump, who has resumed largescale campaign rallies — sometimes over the objections of local officials.

Still, some Democrats say it’s critical that Biden infuse his campaign with more energy.

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said not traveling because of the pandemic was a “pretty lame excuse.”

“I thought he had his own plane,“Hinojosa said. “He doesn’t have to sit with one space between another person on a commercial airline like I would.”

Hinojosa argued that Biden prioritizi­ng visits to Texas and Arizona could boost Latino turnout and potentiall­y reduce the pressure on him to sweep Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvan­ia — where he has focused much of his travel so far.

“We are campaignin­g safely and effectivel­y, and our message is reaching voters in battlegrou­nd states and generating the enthusiasm and energy we need to beat Donald Trump,” said Biden spokesman TJ Ducklo.

The race between Biden and Trump has been generally consistent for months. Biden has maintained a comfortabl­e lead in most national polls and has an advantage, though narrower, in many of the battlegrou­nd states that will decide the election.

But polls that showed competitiv­e races or even Democratic advantages in traditiona­lly Republican states proved to be false indicators for Democrats in 2016.

Four years later, Biden faces persistent questions about whether his campaign is organizing and connecting with voters. When he visited Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday for a Black economic summit, Collette Alston, chairwoman of the local African American Caucus, said she only found out with one day’s notice — when she saw it on TV.

Just 16 people attended the event, and Alston warned that Biden wasn’t reaching locals she thinks he needs to — “the people that are like, I don’t care, I really don’t want to vote.”

“I do believe that he can win North Carolina,” Alston said. “Can he win it based on what he’s doing right now? No. That’s not the way to win it.”

 ?? Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press ?? Some Democrats say presidenti­al candidate Joe Biden needs to infuse his campaign with more energy. He spoke Wednesday at an event in Charlotte, N.C.
Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press Some Democrats say presidenti­al candidate Joe Biden needs to infuse his campaign with more energy. He spoke Wednesday at an event in Charlotte, N.C.

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