Biden heads on fundraising sprint ahead of expensive campaign year

President Joe Biden sets off on a fundraising sprint Tuesday as he looks to tap into wealthy donor networks ahead of an expensive campaign year ahead.

He’s headlining three fundraisers in the Boston area, the first of seven events between now and Monday, with more scheduled for later this month. Democratic officials are looking ahead to what some believe could be a billion-dollar campaign, as Biden works to sell his reelection to a public that, at least for now, appears skeptical.

Singer-songwriter James Taylor will headline an event in Boston’s theater district. Tickets for “You’ve Got a Friend in Joe” ran between $50 and $7,500. Two other events in the area will bring in millions more for Biden’s campaign war chest.

The president is making a final push for cash before the end of the month reporting deadline. He’ll be in Los Angeles this weekend for a pair of Hollywood fundraisers, including one with a dose of star power from Stephen Spielberg, Shonda Rhimes and Rob Reiner that’s hosted by decorator to the stars Michael Smith and his husband James Costos, a former US ambassador to Spain.

Last quarter, Biden and Democrats reported raising $71 million for his reelection – a solid figure that far outstripped his potential Republican rivals, but lagged behind Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama at this point in their reelection.

Campaign officials say the pace of fundraising has increased. November was the biggest month for grassroots donations since Biden announced reelection in the spring, an official said.

So far, the campaign is putting that money to use in television ads – going on the air with a $25 million ad buy to test messaging and try to make an affirmative case for the president’s reelection. Some of the ads have aired during key NFL games.

The campaign also begun staffing up in key early voting states, announcing a state director this week in South Carolina, which will be an early test of Biden’s support among black voters.

To this point, however, the campaign has run a relatively bare bones operation – which officials say is intentional as they look to preserve resources for next year.