Donald Trump is definitely the leading presidential candidate. But that could change on a dime.
Because Joe Biden has a twist for the election courtesy of this one law he signed years ago.
No matter who wins in the 2024 presidential election between Donald Trump and incumbent Joe Biden, the result will almost certainly be extremely close relative to most presidential elections in the past few decades.
2016 was fairly close between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, 2020 was about as close as it can get, and 2024 is looking to shape up as an election cycle that will continue that trend again.
In 2020, there were eight states that were decided by less than four points, and six of them went in Joe Biden’s favor. Georgia was decided by less than half a point and went in Biden’s favor. Arizona was decided by less than a point and also went in Biden’s favor, the same for Wisconsin.
All of these states are up for grabs for either gentleman in the 2024 presidential election. Currently, however, Donald Trump is leading by a significant margin in some of these battleground states like Michigan and Arizona.
With the same results as 2020, if Donald Trump were to flip just three states including Michigan, Arizona, and Wisconsin, he would have enough electoral college votes to win a second term in the White House with 274 votes.
Not only that, but if Donald Trump was able to flip Pennsylvania, that would be a massive lift as it would require him to only need one other mid-sized state to secure a win in a hypothetical rematch against Joe Biden this November.
In Pennsylvania, polls suggest the race will be extremely close but most surveys indicate Donald Trump is leading the incumbent president there as well. Even polls sponsored by CNN are producing these results.
President Biden’s fortunes might change though, due to a law that he signed back in 2021 that is funneling billions of taxpayer dollars into these battleground states.
The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure package and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), President Biden’s extensive climate legislation, have allocated over $60 billion combined to pivotal swing states including Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia, as per data from the White House. These states are crucial in determining whether Biden secures a second term or if former President Donald Trump makes a return to the White House.
According to Axios, the funds distributed from these bills thus far represent approximately half of their total allocations.
Michigan has received $10.8 billion for infrastructure and green energy initiatives, North Carolina has been allocated $9.8 billion, and Georgia has obtained a significant $10.5 billion from these bills, based on White House figures. Pennsylvania has been granted a substantial $16.2 billion, Wisconsin $6.8 billion, Nevada $3.7 billion, and Arizona $8.6 billion for similar projects.
As taxpayer money continues to flow into these states to support infrastructure and green energy endeavors, officials from the Biden administration have embarked on promotional tours amidst the intensifying election cycle.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, for instance, visited Michigan last week to endorse a $1.5 billion loan for a nuclear plant, alongside a $13 million grant to Kraft-Heinz, before heading to Georgia to discuss green energy projects.
Additionally, Labor Secretary Julie Su traveled to Michigan to showcase the administration’s green job initiatives, and Vice President Kamala Harris was in North Carolina to commemorate the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) allocation of IRA funds to environmentally focused organizations with strong ties to the Democratic establishment.
As the 2024 general election heats up later in the summer this year, there’s no doubt that Joe Biden and his campaign allies are going to try to convince those in these battleground states that he’s willing to throw billions of dollars their way to get their votes. His campaign won’t frame it that way, but that’s what it is.
Whether that will be enough for Americans in these battleground states to ignore the still too-high inflation, the housing crisis, and rising gas-prices is yet to be seen. The state of the economy remains the most important issue for American voters, as has been the case for decades and decades.
According to the Financial Times, a huge majority of Americans to the tune of 67% say that inflation is their biggest issue heading into the 2024 election cycle. Unfortunately for Joe Biden, throwing money at that issue only makes it worse. That’s a lesson his Federal Reserve has yet to learn.
The Conservative Column will keep you updated on any 2024 election news.
