Biden looking at big re-election fundraisers for the end of June

With the debt ceiling drama now behind him, President Joe Biden is starting to focus more on the mechanics of his reelection campaign.

The president’s team is in talks with Gov. JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) about holding a fundraiser later this month, according to two people familiar with the event.

A fundraiser by Pritzker, a billionaire who has promised to help pay for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 2024 along with other stakeholders on the host committee and elsewhere, would be a major boost to Biden in the final days of the current campaign finance quarter.

The details of the event have not been finalized and are subject to change. But one of the dates being considered is June 28.

The Pritzker event is one of several high-dollar gatherings being discussed by Biden’s team that could be held before the second quarter ends on June 30. Campaigns must file their finance reports in mid-July.

Biden’s allies have expressed confidence in the president’s ability to raise huge sums of cash for his re-election campaign, especially with the threat of the return of former President Donald Trump energizing the Democratic base. But Biden’s campaign has not revealed how much money he brought in during the first 24 hours of his reelection campaign, unlike four years ago when his team announced that he had reaped $6.3 million in that time period after his 2020 kickoff.

Aides have said they are implementing a policy of not announcing sporadic fundraising totals this go-around. But Biden’s campaign also has not disclosed who will lead his fundraising team this cycle.

Biden has begun the process of courting Democrats with deep pockets, however, and several top donors and elected officials were encouraged by the president tapping Hollywood honcho Jeffrey Katzenberg as a campaign co-chair to help guide not only fundraising but also manage relationships between the party’s donor circles and Biden world. A few days after launching his 2024 bid, Biden met with leading donors and fundraisers in Washington at an event hosted by the Democratic National Committee.