SUPERIOR, Wis. -- President Joe Biden used his latest election-year stop to announce nearly $5 billion in federal money for the deteriorating John A. Blatnik Memorial Bridge between Superior, Wis. and Duluth, Minn. and dozens of infrastructure projects nationwide
With Biden trying to persuade voters to reward him for his first-term achievements, the Democrat's latest pitch came in a critical swing state that is part of the "blue wall" of states -- Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania -- where he defeated Republican President Donald Trump in 2020.
"For decades, people talked about replacing this bridge, but it never got done. Until today," Biden said at Superior's Earth Rider Brewery after visiting with iron workers and local officials at the bridge. "This bridge is important, but the story we're writing is much bigger than that," Biden said.
More than 33,000 vehicles travel on the Blatnik Bridge every day, but heavy trucks are barred because of its decaying condition and that has caused lengthy detours. Without additional federal dollars, the bridge would have had to shut down by 2030, according to the White House. It is getting $1 billion for upgrades and repairs.
Though his visit was not officially a campaign event, his sharpened focus on Wisconsin with the election less than 10 months away highlights its place as one of a shrinking handful of genuine battleground states.
Four of the past six presidential elections have been decided by less than a percentage point in Wisconsin, with Trump winning narrowly in 2016 against Democrat Hillary Clinton before losing to Biden by a similar margin in 2020.
All signs point to Wisconsin remaining nearly evenly divided, even as Democrats have made gains in recent elections. A Marquette Law School poll released in November showed the 2024 presidential race to be a toss-up with the election a year away.
Biden made the case that Wisconsin and Minnesota have fared better under his watch than under Trump's because of his administration's focus on helping the middle class through measures such as the infrastructure bill. Wisconsin's unemployment rate stands at 3.3% and Minnesota's is at 2.9%.
"My predecessor, though, he chose a different course -- trickle down economics, cut taxes for the very wealthy, big corporations, increasing the deficit significantly," said Biden, who later made a stop at the Superior Fire Department Local 74 to thank first responders and drop off coffee and baked goods.
Democratic leaders in Wisconsin have stressed the importance of Biden visiting the state. Clinton's defeat in 2016 was blamed in part on the fact that she never campaigned in Wisconsin after winning the Democratic nomination.
"He needs to be here, simple as that," Democratic Gov. Tony Evers told The Associated Press in an interview this month.
Before Biden's visit, the White House and its allies called out Rep. Peter Stauber, R-Minn., who has cited the bridge repair as a win for his district and has taken credit for advocating for the project's funding. Stauber, however, voted against the infrastructure bill.
"This is too brazen to ignore. Mr. Stauber voted against every screw, steel beam, and concrete pire in this bridge," Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., posted on X formerly Twitter. He said that Biden "worked with Stauber's colleagues and got it done without him."
Stauber defended his role, saying in a statement that the Biden administration did not select Minnesota's first application for bridge money, "which is why my advocacy was necessary."
While in Superior, Biden noted that some Republicans had voted for the infrastructure legislation but that the "vast majority voted against it."
"But you know what? That's OK," Biden said. "Because we're building projects everywhere, no matter whether they voted for it or not."
Information for this article was contributed by Steve Karnowski of The Associated Press.