VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — When President Joe Biden travels to Virginia Beach Tuesday, he is expected to talk about affordable health care. But why of all places is this happening here?
As Biden gears up for a re-election run in 2024, the answer, possibly, could be politics.
Based on recent election results. Virginia Beach seems to be neither red nor blue, but purple.
In the 2020 presidential election, Biden, a Democrat, carried Virginia Beach over then-President Donald Trump. But in the 2021 governor's race, Republican Glenn Youngkin beat Democrat Terry McAuliffe within the city.
In the 2022 U.S. House election in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District, which covers Virginia Beach, Democrat Elaine Luria was defeated by the eventual winner, Republican Jen Kiggans.
"I think right now as Biden campaigns and this election is getting into full swing, they're thinking very carefully about areas, particularly in population centers that the president is going to need," Virginia Wesleyan University Political Science Assistant Professor Leslie Caughell said.
In an interview with 13News Now Nibdat, she said the appearance may be part of a broader campaign strategy.
"We've got really good political science research that suggests candidates are very strategic about where they visit. Their time is the one resource they can't use money to buy more of. So what you're going to see is the president visiting swing districts," she said.
He visited two schools in Yorktown and Tidewater Community College's Portsmouth campus.