Biden heads to Philadelphia to rally Dems ahead of 2024 campaign

President Joe Biden heads to Philadelphia on Friday to rally the Democratic faithful as his classified documents scandal grows and he faces an intra-party fight over his proposal to change the 2024 primary calendar – to his benefit.

He will address a Democratic National Committee meeting as poll numbers out this week show voters are losing faith in his ability to be honest and trustworthy and some Democrats are questioning his handling of classified materials.

Adding on to the concerns, officials in New Hampshire, a key 2024 state, worry that the president may skip their primary contest next year, setting up a scenario where an alternative candidate could garner an early victory, causing an embarrassment for Biden and the party.

Biden hasn’t officially announced he is seeking a second term, but he has said he intends to run. He is expected to formally announce later this spring. 

But the specter of the presidential election will shadow over him when he addresses the party delegates, a dedicated group whose support he will need throughout the grueling campaign season.

President Joe Biden walks from the Oval Office as he leaves the White House, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Washington. Biden is traveling to Philadelphia to meet with the Democratic National Committee

He is expected to outline his administration’s accomplishments – a case he will continue to make next week when he gives his annual State of the Union address.

‘It’s really important we let people know what we’ve done,’ Biden said at a fund-raiser this week in New York. ‘We can now go out and make our case.’ 

But, as Biden focuses on what his administration has done, an NBC News poll out this week showed a majority of Democrats – 52% – said they’re concerned about the president’s possession of classified documents

And the Biden administration is facing questions from Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who is asking the administration to provide a briefing and damage assessment after classified material was found in the private possession of Biden, Mike Pence and Donald Trump.

Warner, who has been vocal about how frustrated he’s getting with the Biden team, sent a second letter on Thursday.

He wrote that his committee wants to assess the ‘potential risks to national security arising from the mishandling of this classified information.’

‘I think that it will be viewed as increasing, expressing our deep frustration and increasing pressure on the administration,’ he told NBC News. ‘And I’m hoping for a breakthrough soon.’ 

The White House and many Democrats argue that President Biden has handled the classified documents in his possession much differently than Trump. 

‘President Biden has built a strong reputation as an honest man with integrity and decency at his core. Because of that, he has built a reservoir of goodwill with the American people and has earned the benefit of the doubt,’ Democratic strategist Kurt Bardella said.

Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, is frustrated with the Biden administration's slow response in providing documents to the Senate Intelligence Committee

Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, is frustrated with the Biden administration’s slow response in providing documents to the Senate Intelligence Committee

But, despite the push to differentiate between Biden’s handling of classified documents in his possession and Trump’s management of the issue, the NBC News poll showed that an equal number of voters – 67% – are concerned about both. 

The poll was mostly finished by the time the news came that Pence also had documents in his possession, a revelation that many Democrats think gives Biden a political break. 

But there may be more revelations come for the president. 

The Justice Department has special counsels investigating both Trump and Biden. This week, it was revealed federal agents searched Biden’s beach home in Rehoboth, Delaware, and took notes although they found no classified material. 

But there are calls for an investigation of other areas that store Biden documents, such as the University of Pennsylvania, which houses his Senate papers.

Additionally, Biden refused to answer if he would testify should Special Counsel Robert Hur request to speak to him. 

The NBC News poll showed Biden’s reputation took a hit. The White House faced criticism about its lack of transparency – the documents were originally discovered in Biden’s D.C. think tank on Nov. 2 but it wasn’t revealed publicly until January after CBS News reported their existence.  The Biden team also delayed publicly revealing there were documents in the president’s Wilmington, Delaware, home.

In the aftermath, Biden got low marks from voters for honest and trustworthiness (34%), for having the necessary mental and physical health to be president (28%) and for uniting the country (23%).

He did receive high marks for being easygoing and likable (45%) and for being knowledgeable enough to be president (42%). 

President Joe Biden waves as he departs the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 3, 2023, as he travels to Philadelphia. Biden will speak at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting before spending the weekend in Wilmington, Delaware.

President Joe Biden waves as he departs the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 3, 2023, as he travels to Philadelphia. Biden will speak at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting before spending the weekend in Wilmington, Delaware.

While voters raise questions many official Democrats are sticking with the president for now on the issue, citing his immediate notification of the National Archives about his possession of the documents and cooperating with the Justice Department in its investigation.

Many praise his handling of the issue and argue, in the long run, that will pay off for the president. 

Minnesota Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, who supports the president after earlier suggestions Biden should consider a single term in the White House to allow for a new generation of leadership, said he approves of Biden’s handling of the issue, especially when compared to Trump.

‘I think it’s a better reflection on President Biden’s ethics and principles and how he’s handling visa vie another former president,’ Phillips said.

Meanwhile, New Hampshire Democrats are worried about a proposal – that has the president’s backing – that would shake up the primary calendar, allowing South Carolina to hold its primary three days before New Hampshire, which – traditionally – is first-in-the-nation.

But New Hampshire law requires the state to hold its primary seven days before any similar contest.

State Democratic party chair Raymond Buckley told DailyMail.com he’s worried Republicans in his state won’t agree to change it and it can’t legally be done without GOP support.

He voiced the concerns of many New Hampshire Democrats – that the GOP won’t agree to change their law and Biden, in a symbolic move, could choose not to run in the New Hampshire primary but instead focus on South Carolina.

That wouldn’t stop any other Democratic candidate – from lawmaker to political novice – from filing the $1,500 fee to run in the primary.

‘We don’t think it’s a good look,’ he said, imagining a scenario on primary night where the ‘evening news starts off with Donald Trump came from behind and defeated [Ron] DeSantis on the Republican side and, then on the Democratic side, you know, a housekeeper from Oregon wins. I’m not sure everybody thought that through.’

On Saturday, members of the Democratic National Committee will vote on a new primary calendar that moves South Carolina's contest ahead of New Hampshire, a move that has New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley (right) worried

On Saturday, members of the Democratic National Committee will vote on a new primary calendar that moves South Carolina’s contest ahead of New Hampshire, a move that has New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley (right) worried

Republicans will keep their New Hampshire primary calendar date; Donald Trump campaigned in Salem, N.H., on Saturday

Republicans will keep their New Hampshire primary calendar date; Donald Trump campaigned in Salem, N.H., on Saturday

Trump has already started campaigning in New Hampshire, appearing at an event there on Saturday. 

Buckley had warned Democratic leaders in a letter that changing the primary calendar can ‘create an opening for an insurgent candidate — serious or not — who can garner media attention and capitalize on Granite Stater’s anger about being passed over by [Biden’s] campaign.’ 

On Saturday, members of the DNC will vote on a new primary calendar – backed by Biden – that will see South Carolina hold its 2024 presidential primary first on Feb. 3, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire on Feb. 6, Georgia on Feb. 13 and then Michigan on Feb. 27.

Supporters argue it gives better positioning to states whose demographics better reflect the base of the Democratic Party. 

But it also benefits Biden, who, in the 2020 primary, came in fifth in New Hampshire. His victory in South Carolina saved his presidential bid and put him on the path to winning the nomination.

The president’s support for a new calendar also was seen as a sign he will seek a second term and was setting himself up for a smooth ride to the nomination.

The DNC is looking at giving New Hampshire until June to amend its law although, again, it’s unclear if Republicans in the state will support such a move. The Republican Party is sticking with the traditional calendar where Iowa holds its caucuses and then New Hampshire hosts the first primary.

Buckley sounded hopeful that something could be worked out over the next year before any voting actually begins.  

‘The bottom line to me is that I want to be successful in the general election in November 2024. That’s what matters,’ he said, adding he wants to see Biden win another term in the White House.

New Hampshire’s lawmakers have been lobbying Biden on the issue.

Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster told DailyMail.com she has spoken to President Biden and argued for her state’s prime positioning on the calendar. She said she told him that ‘he shouldn’t hesitate to come on up’ to visit the state. 

And New Hampshire Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan sat out the White House congressional ball in December to protest the issue.

Clay Middleton, a South Carolina based Democratic strategist, will be in Philadelphia for the three-day DNC meeting.

He said there is ‘great enthusiasm among Democrats,’ particularly to see President Biden and he expects to hear the president address the calendar issue.

‘I’m pretty sure he’s gonna mention it in his remarks before we, before we vote on Saturday,’ he said.