After Tuesday’s dual stops in Wisconsin, Biden visited Iowa, his first trip to the first presidential state, where in Cedar Rapids he campaigned for gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbell and with Democrat Abby Finkenauer, a coordinator of volunteers for Biden’s 2008 Iowa campaign who is attempting to win back a key swing district where Trump scored a decisive victory in 2016.

“Biden is a bridge. Biden’s a guy who communicates well in a way that people can relate to,” said Larry Grisolano, a Democratic media consultant with AKPD Message & Media who worked with Biden during his first presidential run in 1987 and again for the Obama-Biden team in 2008 and 2012. “For Democrats, that’s a great asset for us in the homestretch to a big election.”

Grisolano said Biden has long demonstrated a unique ability to connect to working-class voters, in part because of his Scranton roots.

“What I think he does that sets him apart is he can also reach out to people who are not traditional Democrats, people who have drifted away from the party in the last election or so,” Grisolano said. “He’s a powerful weapon for the party in that way.”