The Democratic National Committee is ramping up for a nationwide bus tour billed as the "Build Back Better Tour," targeting 10 states across the South, Mountain West, Midwest, and Northeast, according to a DNC statement released Tuesday.
The tour will kick off in Virginia on Aug. 12 and include surrogates like Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, Rep. Joaquin Castro, Secretary Julián Castro, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero. The DNC statement did not list all 10 states, but Nevada, Texas, Georgia, and Arizona are clearly on the list alongside Virginia.
The DNC announcement comes as the Democratic Party seeks to promote President Joe Biden's economic successes. A series of recent polls and pro-Democratic policy memos have found voters are confused about Biden's agenda and the ways in which the nearly $2-trillion American Rescue Plan has helped to shore up the economy and put many Americans back to work. Much of the tour's focus will be dedicated to job creation, middle-class tax cuts, and lowering health care costs. Democrats reportedly seek to both tout Biden's accomplishments while pounding on GOP lawmakers as dead weight in delivering solutions for voters.
“Because of President Biden’s and Democrats’ leadership, jobs and wages are up, unemployment is down, and middle-class families are benefiting from a major tax cut," DNC chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement. "We know there is still work to be done and the DNC’s ‘Build Back Better’ bus tour will remind people across the country that it is Democrats who are delivering results for the American people—no thanks to Republicans.”
The Senate passed a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal on Tuesday, just in time for the bus tour. The measure still needs to clear the House before going President Biden's desk, but beating back a GOP filibuster in the Senate alone is a minor miracle and a political win for the Biden White House. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will wait to take up the bipartisan bill until it is accompanied by a larger, more progressive Democrats-only bill, reflecting the priorities of her largely progressive caucus.
The new DNC bus tour is the organization’s second effort to cement Biden’s accomplishments in voters’ minds. The Democratic organization also organized an Ice Cream Truck tour along the East Coast as Americans celebrated a relaxing of pandemic restrictions around the July 4 holiday. But helping voters link Biden’s efforts to combat COVID-19 to the growing U.S. economic recovery will be crucial to Democratic chances in next year’s midterms.
The tour will kick off in Virginia on Aug. 12 and include surrogates like Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, Rep. Joaquin Castro, Secretary Julián Castro, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero. The DNC statement did not list all 10 states, but Nevada, Texas, Georgia, and Arizona are clearly on the list alongside Virginia.
The DNC announcement comes as the Democratic Party seeks to promote President Joe Biden's economic successes. A series of recent polls and pro-Democratic policy memos have found voters are confused about Biden's agenda and the ways in which the nearly $2-trillion American Rescue Plan has helped to shore up the economy and put many Americans back to work. Much of the tour's focus will be dedicated to job creation, middle-class tax cuts, and lowering health care costs. Democrats reportedly seek to both tout Biden's accomplishments while pounding on GOP lawmakers as dead weight in delivering solutions for voters.
“Because of President Biden’s and Democrats’ leadership, jobs and wages are up, unemployment is down, and middle-class families are benefiting from a major tax cut," DNC chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement. "We know there is still work to be done and the DNC’s ‘Build Back Better’ bus tour will remind people across the country that it is Democrats who are delivering results for the American people—no thanks to Republicans.”
The Senate passed a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal on Tuesday, just in time for the bus tour. The measure still needs to clear the House before going President Biden's desk, but beating back a GOP filibuster in the Senate alone is a minor miracle and a political win for the Biden White House. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will wait to take up the bipartisan bill until it is accompanied by a larger, more progressive Democrats-only bill, reflecting the priorities of her largely progressive caucus.
The new DNC bus tour is the organization’s second effort to cement Biden’s accomplishments in voters’ minds. The Democratic organization also organized an Ice Cream Truck tour along the East Coast as Americans celebrated a relaxing of pandemic restrictions around the July 4 holiday. But helping voters link Biden’s efforts to combat COVID-19 to the growing U.S. economic recovery will be crucial to Democratic chances in next year’s midterms.