MILWAUKEE — After Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, President Joe Biden will take his message on the road, first with a visit to Wisconsin to highlight how his economic plan has created jobs for the American people.
The president’s trip to the Badger State will be the first since the 2022 midterm election when Biden spoke at Laborfest in Milwaukee. During the September visit, Biden highlighted how his American Rescue Plan Act helped improve wages and kept the unemployment rate low.
In a statement Friday announcing the visit to Wisconsin, the White House said Biden will “discuss how his economic plan is creating good-paying, union jobs and delivering real results for the American people.”
Wisconsin has a long tradition as a swing state, and with Republicans poised to hold their national convention in Milwaukee in 2024, it is no surprise the president is trying to shore up support for his policies, especially as his favorability has begun to slip among some Wisconsinites.
In 2020, Biden narrowly won Wisconsin by 0.6%, defeating former President Donald Trump in the battleground state by roughly 20,600 votes.
According to an exclusive Spectrum News/Siena College poll taken in October, 26% of likely voters in the Badger State reported feeling as though the United States is on the right track, while 65% said the country is headed in the wrong direction.
“President Biden has led our nation through the creation of 12.1 million jobs, and understands, in his bones, how working people are the heart and soul of this country," Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler said in a statement. "Wisconsin is excited to welcome him next Wednesday, and to celebrate his historic economic success.”
Wednesday’s stop in the Madison area is part of a nationwide tour as Vice President Kamala Harris and other cabinet members crisscross the county to highlight the administration’s accomplishments.
Those include job creation, infrastructure improvement and lowering costs for families, according to the White House.
After his visit to Wisconsin, President Biden is scheduled to visit Tampa, Florida on Thursday to discuss his administration’s efforts to lower health care costs.