President Biden is holding a campaign rally at a Delco middle school the day after the State of the Union
The school, Southwest of Philadelphia in Wallingford, is in a suburban area that has grown increasingly Democratic since former President Donald Trump’s 2016 election.
From D.C. to Delco.
President Joe Biden will visit Strath Haven Middle School in Delaware County on Friday, the day after his State of the Union address, two sources with knowledge of the planning told The Inquirer.
The school, in Wallingford, is about 10 miles from Philadelphia International Airport in a suburban area that has grown increasingly Democratic since former President Donald Trump’s 2016 election.
Biden is expected to hold a rally at the middle school in the early evening, kicking off a campaign tour following his national address Thursday night.
Classes are still expected to be held Friday. The school is adjacent to Strath Haven High School, which is known for its marching band, one of the largest in the nation.
The district emailed parents this week, noting that unspecified visitors could result in shifts in parking and road closures around the middle and high schools “following dismissal and into the evening,” and that some afternoon sports and activities could be impacted.
It will be Biden’s fourth stop in eastern Pennsylvania this year and his first to a school. First lady Jill Biden is a lifelong educator who grew up in Willow Grove.
The region is vital for Biden in a state where the smallest shifts could determine the outcome. The area has contributed significant votes to Democratic statewide candidates in recent elections.
In 2019, Democrats won big in the county, flipping the Delaware County Council from Republican control for the first time since the Civil War.
In the 2020 election that trend continued, as it did in Bucks, Chester and Montgomery Counties. Biden expanded the total margin of victory in the four collar counties by nearly 105,000 votes over what former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton amassed in her loss in 2016. That was more than enough to offset the gains Trump made elsewhere in the state, despite a somewhat disappointing Democratic performance in Philadelphia.
The size of the Philadelphia suburbs — and their growing, educated, increasingly racially and ethnically diverse electorate — makes them key for Democrats. Even relatively small shifts in turnout and vote share can mean a difference of tens or even hundreds of thousands of votes.
Delaware County in 2020 increased its two-party presidential vote by 12.8%, the lowest increase of the collar counties but still a sizeable jump.
The school district has been used for political events before. Former President Barack Obama visited Strath Haven High School as a candidate in the 2008 Democratic primary, holding a town hall meeting and chatting with students. Sen. John Fetterman held a rally at Nether Providence Elementary School during his 2022 campaign.
Biden’s deputy communications manager Brooke Goren is also an alumna of the district.