President Biden enters Election Day bracing for losses, with his advisors privately acknowledging they don’t see a viable path for Democrats to hold onto their House majority.
But Biden and his senior team start the day with the view that the prospect of Democrats holding on to their Senate majority is real – even if it’s one that may take days, or longer, to be fully realized.
Biden is planning to remain behind closed doors throughout the day, but aides say he’ll stick to his regular morning schedule that includes his daily workout, morning meetings with his senior team and his daily intelligence briefing.
The White House political team will set up a short walk away from the West Wing in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where they will be in close contact with the Democratic Party committees running point on the midterm races, as well as monitoring the legal and security issues that may develop.
Biden’s predecessors often spent Election Day popping up in radio interviews designed to drive turnout in particular states or among specific critical demographic groups – something Biden is likely to do as well.
In the evening, Biden is planning to watch the returns with his close advisors, according to an official. While the official didn’t detail where Biden planned to be when the polls closed, in big moments over the course of Biden’s first 21 months in office – like the late-night House passage of his $1 trillion infrastructure bill, he’s invited his closest advisors to the residence to watch the events play out
