WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — President Joe Biden will share a stage with former President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton in New York as he raises money for his reelection campaign.
While all signs point to a close race between former President Donald Trump and Biden, there is one area where things are not close: Fundraising. Biden’s reelection campaign raised $53 million last month, far outpacing former President Donald Trump’s February haul of $15.9 million.
The Biden-Obama-Clinton partnership will be on full display Thursday in what has been described as a one-of-a-kind fundraising extravaganza in New York City to help Biden build on his already significant cash advantage. It’s a dramatic show of force intended to rally the Democratic Party faithful to secure a second term for Biden despite stubbornly low poll numbers and doubts due to his age (81).
Obama was at the White House last week to discuss the 14th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. The former president has been working the phones and speaking with former staffers who now serve under Biden.
The only living Democratic president who will not be in New York for the fundraiser is 99-year-old Jimmy Carter. A spokeswoman for Carter confirmed he remains in home hospice care and is not making any public statements.
Thousands of people are expected at Radio City Music Hall to watch Stephen Colbert moderate a conversation with the three presidents. Celebrity guests — Cynthia Erivo, Mindy Kaling, Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Lea Michele and Ben Platt — will provide more star power.
The cheapest tickets are $225, making it more accessible than most fundraisers. But that’s only the starting point. A photo with all three presidents is $100,000. Access to more intimate receptions will cost $250,000 or $500,000.
Campaign officials have not said how much they expect the event to raise. But, they said a fundraiser featuring Biden and Obama in December raised nearly $3 million.
President Biden has narrowed the gap against former President Trump in six out of seven key battleground states over the past month, according to a new poll that hints at a likely close general election race between the two men in November.
A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll, published Tuesday found Biden still trailing Trump overall among all voters in the seven battleground states likely to determine the outcome of the election. But it had good news for Biden as he chipped away at Trump’s lead almost across the board, and overtook the former president in one state.
The poll found Biden doing particularly well in the Blue Wall states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.