Biden campaign and Jill Biden launch outreach to older voters with bingo nights and pickleball games

WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Jill Biden is kicking off her husband’s outreach to older voters, an effort that will blend rallies and phone banks with social events like bingo nights and pickleball games.

While President Joe Biden is in Italy attending the Group of Seven summit, the first lady will travel to four swing states to launch the Seniors for Biden-Harris effort. Older adults are more likely than the average American to vote, and they make up larger shares of the population in some key swing states. Biden, who outperformed previous Democrats with the demographic in 2020, is looking to expand on the gains as his campaign seeks to maximize its chances of defeating former President Donald Trump, the Republican presumptive nominee.

Jill Biden’s travels will take her to Green Bay, Wisconsin; Duluth, Minnesota; Reno, Nevada; and Phoenix, the campaign said. While her events will feel like traditional rallies, the campaign also plans to use pickleball events and bingo nights to motivate older voters and keep them activated to help the campaign heading into November.

“Seniors are such a critical part of our coalition, and it is vitally important that we engage them this election cycle because they know President Biden is the only candidate in this race fighting for lower prescription drug and health care costs and to protect and safeguard Medicare and Social Security,” Biden campaign manager Julia Chavez Rodriguez said. “Dr. Biden is both a trusted voice for seniors speaking to the issues that matter most to them and a galvanizing force to activate our supporters ahead of the election.”

Jill Biden had spent much of the last 10 days at a federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware, supporting her son Hunter Biden, who on Tuesday was convicted on federal firearms charges. The swing marks her return to the campaign trail after the trying experience for her family.

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