President Joe Biden is reportedly preparing to announce his candidacy for re-election as soon as next week. A video announcement is said to be in the works, coinciding with the anniversary of Biden's 2019 campaign announcement. While advisers caution that timing could still change, a decision has been made that it is "no longer helpful or necessary to not just say the obvious: He's running," according to a senior Democratic official.
Biden's plan to run for re-election has been known inside the White House for months, but his official declaration will end any lingering speculation about his intentions. His announcement will set off a battle to convince the public of his accomplishments and his ability to continue serving well into his eighties.
The decision to announce his plans next week is in part a recognition of the work ahead for the Biden campaign to mobilize and energize voters to turn around the malaise that some Democrats feel about his candidacy. Biden's aides have been quietly putting an infrastructure in place for a re-election campaign for months, led by deputy chief of staff Jen O'Malley Dillon and senior adviser Anita Dunn.
Biden's campaign headquarters will be based in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, a decision that the president personally signed off on this month. Philadelphia, which was the base for his 2020 campaign until the pandemic hit, was also under consideration. However, Wilmington will be at least the nominal home base of his re-election effort, with a split screen to the White House.
Biden said last week that he had completed his "calculus" about mounting a re-election bid and would announce his intentions shortly. The announcement, which would come just days before the first major donor gathering, will signal the next phase of the Biden presidency and an aggressive fundraising effort to help Democrats hold the White House.