Biden set to make re-election bid official next week

President Joe Biden is preparing to make his intention to seek a second term official next week, with advisers planning to launch his re-election campaign as soon as Tuesday, three sources familiar with the plans said.

Even as advisers have said for months that no formal timetable had been settled on to launch Biden’s 2024 campaign, they have long eyed April 25, the anniversary of Biden’s 2020 campaign announcement, as an informal target. And as he did four years ago, Biden would launch his candidacy with a campaign video message, the sources said.

The Washington Post first reported that Biden is preparing to announce his re-election bid next week.

The timing and method of the announcement mirror how the Obama-Biden ticket launched its re-election bid in 2011. Jen O’Malley Dillon and Anita Dunn, senior White House advisers overseeing the coming rollout, both worked on former President Barack Obama’s re-election effort. Other operatives expected to take roles in the 2024 campaign have been readying for the launch, with top advisers sending signals in recent days to “get ready,” a source familiar with the planning said.

As the sitting president rather than a candidate aspiring to the office, Biden is not likely to launch the kind of barnstorming tour he did in 2019 after his announcement; instead, he is likely to follow the precedent of other incumbents by employing something of a Rose Garden strategy for much of this year.

Even if Biden won’t officially hold campaign events until next year, he is expected to continue to travel the country promoting his legislative accomplishments and using congressional Republicans as his primary sparring partners until the Republican nominating race produces his general election opponent.

Advisers caution that plans could change based on a variety of factors. One source said nothing is official until Biden announces it himself.