Is the 2024 election about issues like the economy and political personalities, or is it about the future of democracy?
It may depend on who you ask. For President Joe Biden, his campaign is increasingly focused on making this November about protecting democracy with a campaign event planned in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, on Friday. It was the site where General George Washington entrenched his troops during the American Revolution.
The speech will mark three years since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol.
Campaign strategy
Friday's speech will be the latest address on democracy delivered by President Biden. The president has made a point of speaking about the subject multiple times during his presidency from Arizona to Pennsylvania.
Scripps News spoke with Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz about why the president has identified this issue as a top one in the campaign.
"We view it as our moral duty to really show the American people, especially with Jan. 6 coming up, that our democracy is on the line here, and we have to vote like our lives depend on it," Munoz said.
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Of course, many Americans disagree that 2024 is about the future of democracy.
Bob Vander Plaats is a conservative faith leader in Iowa. He has been a critic of former President Donald Trump and recently decided to endorse Ron DeSantis for president.
However, he disagrees that democracy is really on the line this year.
When asked if he worries at all about the future of democracy with Trump as the Republican nominee, Vander Plaats said: "I think our country is stronger than that. I think America has been put through a lot of tests."
According to the polls, though, democracy doesn't appear to be the top issue on many voters' minds as the year begins.
A recent poll by Emerson Collegefound that 39% of Americans believe the economy is the most important issue facing the United States. Immigration ranked No. 2 at 13%. Only 12% believe "threats to democracy" are No. 1.
Protecting democracy has become a key issue in the Biden campaign, but polling shows voters care much more about the economy.
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