President Biden, First Lady in Bay Area to raise funds

SAN FRANCISCO - President Joe Biden made a stop in the Bay Area for the second time this year on Thursday night to raise money for his re-election campaign.

The president last came to San Francisco in February.

He attended two fundraising events and met with the widow and daughter of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

"You look at California, California has historically been that ATM of American politics," said David McCuan, political science professor at Sonoma State university. "You go from Silicon Valley to Hollywood, wine country to Beverly Hills."

The president and First Lady Jill Biden attended separate campaign receptions during the quick trip.

Jill Biden spoke in Kentfield on Thursday.

On Friday, President Biden attended two fundraisers in the Silicon Valley, including one at the Portola Valley home of tech billionaire Vinod Khosla.

"Money is the mother’s milk of politics, and it matters," said McCuan. "This is a presidential election where you’re going to see north of $6- to 8-billion spent."

Both Biden and former President Trump are expected to spend billions to reach voters in their November rematch.

With six months to Election Day, Biden and Trump are neck-and-neck in recent polls, including in some key swing states. Both presumptive nominees are filling their campaign coffers when they can.

Young people’s frustrations with President Biden and the US’s role in Israel and Gaza have been front and center on college campuses.

Both Democrats and Republicans know young voters could play a pivotal role in the election.

"We would expect to see a split-screen of wealthy donors, opposite protesters, talking about what comes next for US foreign policy in the Middle East, "said McCuan. "The difficulty, however, will not be conversation, the difficulty will be turnout, you’ll see the money raised really go to turnout."

While the conflict between Israel and Hamas is a concern for many young voters, surveys show they’re also driven by issues like the economy, abortion rights and democracy.

President Biden's next stop is Seattle for another fundraiser on Friday. The First Lady will travel to Los Angeles on Friday to deliver remarks at a campaign finance event.