Jill Biden to visit Tampa for campaign speech Monday

Jill Biden will make a run through Florida to help boost vaccine rates.

First Lady Jill Biden is coming to Tampa on Monday for a speech supporting her husband’s re-election effort.

President Joe Biden’s campaign offered little detail about the visit in an advisory sent to media outlets Saturday. The First Lady will “deliver remarks at a campaign event,” the press note said, adding that “more details” would be provided to members of the press who RSVP by 3 p.m. Sunday.

Jill Biden’s stop in the Sunshine State comes at a pivotal time for the President, whose poor debate performance late last month left many questioning whether he should stay in the race or step aside and allow a younger substitute to compete against Donald Trump.

For her part, the First Lady has remained steadfast in advocating for her husband to remain the Democratic nominee.

The Monday campaign stop also follows irresolute messaging in recent months from the Biden campaign about how it views Florida in the coming election.

In April, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden’s Campaign Manager, said in April that winning Florida this year was a longshot, the campaign believed that “Trump does not have it in the bag.” A memo the campaign issued that month detailed how hot-button issues like Florida’s six-week abortion ban, rising costs of living and censorship in schools would help drive progressives to the polls.

But in June, Biden’s Campaign Chair, Jen O’Malley Dillon, offered a conflicting take. Asked whether Florida is a battleground state this year, she replied simply, “No.” That blunt comment was an “unnecessary, demoralizing gut punch” for Democratic staffers, consultants and organizers, Florida-based communications consultant Kevin Cate said on X.

As reporting and consternation about Dillon’s comment spread, the Democratic Party leaped into damage control. Florida Democrats Chair Nikki Fried implored voters, “Don’t count Florida out.”

“We’re not naïve about the challenges ahead,” she said in a statement, “but we’re building the foundation of Democratic success, not just for this cycle, but for the years and decades to come.”

By the numbers, Democrats in Florida face a tough path ahead this year. As of May 31, there were nearly 931,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats in the state — up 24,000 from the month before and 151,000 from the year prior.

Biden also trails Trump in polls at the national and state levels. Some county-level surveys among residents of Florida’s more historically Democrat-leaning areas reveal vulnerabilities for Biden.

That’s not to say Trump isn’t without weaknesses. A recent survey of under-30 voters in a dozen key election states, including Florida, found that three-quarters of Democrats, Republicans and independents believe Trump’s felony convictions should prohibit him from returning to the White House.