Former Vice President Joe Biden is planning his second Iowa trip since announcing his candidacy for next week, touring blue-collar communities in Southeast and Eastern Iowa at the same time as President Donald Trump visits the state. The dueling Iowa appearances should give Biden the opportunity to contrast his candidacy alone and in real time with Trump.
Trump has scheduled an event in Council Bluffs on Tuesday, visiting an ethanol facility for what most expect is an announcement on year-round E-15 ethanol. He will then hold a fundraiser for his campaign with fellow Republicans in West Des Moines.
Biden, meanwhile, will make stops in Ottumwa, Mount Pleasant, and Davenport on Tuesday, with an event in Clinton on Wednesday. Many of those towns are working-class communities that have drifted away from the Democratic Party in Iowa in years past, but that Biden has historically connected well with in his campaigns.
Trump flipped both Wapello County (Ottumwa) and Clinton County (Clinton) to the red column in 2016 despite their long history of backing Democrats.
This is Biden’s second visit this year to a state he’s run in during the Iowa Caucus twice before. The first one also focused heavily on Eastern Iowa. Biden is one of the few candidates to skip this weekend’s Hall Of Fame Dinner in Cedar Rapids, where 19 other Democratic White House hopefuls will speak.
Here are the details of Biden’s events:
Tuesday, June 11
Ottumwa
Where: Bridge View Center, 102 Church St, Ottumwa, IA 52501
Doors Open: 12:00 AM
Event Start Time: 12:30 PM
Mount Pleasant
Where: TBD
Doors Open: 2:45 PM
Event Start Time: 3:15 PM
Davenport
Where: Keppy Hall 4-H Building Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, 2815 West Locust Street Davenport, Iowa 52804
Doors Open: 6:00 PM
Event Start Time: 6:30 PM
Wednesday, June 12
Clinton
Where: Clinton Community College, Auditorium, 1000 Lincoln Blvd., Clinton, IA
Doors Open: 10:15 AM
Event Start Time: 10:45 AM
by Pat Rynard
Photo by Julie Fleming
Posted 6/7/19