The folks and organizations in Joe Biden’s orbit were extremely concerned with propping up the aging and ailing president throughout his thankfully brief administration. However, Biden and his team did not give much attention to the party’s needs, which, truthfully, probably impacted Democrats down the ballot in 2024.
Compare Biden in 2021 to Trump in 2025, and you’ll see a major difference: Trump is currently directing his network to mobilize dollars and donors to key states like Virginia and New Jersey. That’s something Biden never did.
According to Axios, Trump’s political operation has launched million-dollar-plus micro-targeting programs in both New Jersey and Virginia, focusing on Republicans who usually skip odd-year elections. These are presidential-level turnout operations—not routine party support. It’s a nationalized push, coming straight from Trump’s orbit rather than the state GOPs.
### Off-Year Spending Under Biden
During Biden’s term, off-year spending came mainly through the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Democratic Governors Association, and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. The DNC spent heavily—roughly $5 million in Virginia in 2021 and $1.2 million in 2023—but those funds came from the party, not from a Biden-directed apparatus. They supported coordinated campaigns, not a presidentially branded turnout army.
By contrast, Trump’s personal network—his PACs, data-driven voter programs, and now Trump-aligned RNC leadership—is directly investing in these off-year state races. It’s the president himself putting his campaign machine behind state candidates, which is even more impressive given that he’s a lame duck (despite media panic about a “third term”).
### Democrats Grumbled About Biden’s Lack of Effort
Democrats openly complained about Biden’s lack of investment during his term. After the party lost Virginia’s 2021 governor race, state officials blamed national leaders for failing at “basic blocking and tackling,” saying the Biden White House and DNC hadn’t given enough help to keep their base motivated.
These frustrations resurfaced in 2024, when Biden’s disastrous debate performance spooked donors. Multiple reports indicated that major Democratic donors began redirecting money away from Biden and toward down-ballot races, privately telling reporters they didn’t trust the Biden team’s ability to carry the party.
Even some House Democrats complained that the Biden-run coordinated campaign punished dissent rather than building unity. In Michigan, a congresswoman who called for Biden to step aside was briefly cut off from campaign resources, triggering outrage from colleagues and a quick reversal once the press found out.
There was no tight, top-down, presidentially driven machine under Biden. Instead, there was the DNC bureaucratic, committee-driven operation—too often bogged down by internal politics.
### Trump Organizes, Doesn’t Divide
Now look at 2025. The RNC is Trump’s RNC, and the national operation is working hand-in-glove with the president’s own political network to win two governorships in an off-year cycle. Trump is reshaping turnout infrastructure and giving Republicans a head start for 2026 and 2028.
The Republican Party looks way more unified right now than the Democrats do, and Trump appears to be building a legacy in the process.
But this is also a test of whether the Republican Party can do what Democrats never managed under Biden: turn the president’s personal popularity and fundraising reach into consistent, down-ballot muscle.
If Trump’s effort moves even a few percentage points of low-propensity GOP voters in these states, it could flip close legislative seats and establish a permanent ground game that Republicans can use later.
### Structure Beats Slogans
The difference between the two parties right now is that structure beats slogans.
Biden’s presidency proved that a party-committee model can’t always deliver enthusiasm or discipline, and the Democrats even now are centering their entire strategy around the idea that opposing Trump is enough.
Trump’s presidency, meanwhile, is proving that when the president’s machine and the party’s infrastructure work as one, you can move the needle—even in blue-leaning states.
That’s something Biden’s team never figured out, and the Democrats in a post-Biden era seem to be in the same boat. This dynamic could reshape how both parties fight the next decade of off-year elections.
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### Editor’s Note
The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than putting the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown over healthcare for illegals. They own this.
https://redstate.com/joesquire/2025/11/01/trump-is-doing-what-biden-never-didinvesting-in-virginia-and-new-jersey-n2195737
