Biden campaign to begin in-person canvassing

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign will begin in-person canvassing in some battleground states starting early next week, his campaign told The Hill.

The campaign will reportedly start off with several hundred volunteers in Nevada, Michigan, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, and will eventually move on to other states. The effort will target voters who have been difficult to reach by phone and digital avenues. 

“Our voter contact operation is the most innovative and technologically advanced of any presidential campaign in history, and it has been thriving in this unprecedented environment — especially in terms of the most important metric: meaningful conversations with voters,” Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement.

“This has been critical in putting us on offense against Trump in many states he won in 2016. … We’re now expanding on our strategy in a targeted way that puts the safety of communities first and foremost and helps us mobilize voters who are harder to reach by phone now that we’re in the final stretch — and now that Americans are fully dialed-in and ready to make their voices heard,” O’Malley Dillon added.

The campaign plans to add 79 literature supply centers across 17 battleground states. 

The effort comes as Biden’s lead against President Trump has begun to narrow in some swing states, about a month before the presidential election. 

The Trump and Biden campaigns have stood in stark contrast in how they’ve engaged voters during the pandemic, with Biden rarely hosting in-person events and focusing on digital outreach. Meanwhile, Trump has held several in-person rallies with large crowds. 

“It’s just harder and harder to get people on the phone,” said Patrick Sullivan, a Biden volunteer who lives in suburban Harrisburg, Pa., told The Associated Press. “So being able to go to someone’s door and talk to them makes a big difference.”