Democrats should use the media to highlight Mr. Biden’s empathy and position him as the presidential warm blanket that a scarred America will need after four years of Mr. Trump. But they need to realize that in 2020, there is no silver bullet when it comes to persuasive public relations campaigns. To win the PR war and the election, they must focus on the coalition they need to put together to defeat Mr. Trump, understand how the groups in it consume news and commit to meeting these voters where they are.

It starts with a heavy focus on America’s most trusted media source, local news. To get to 270 Electoral College votes, the Biden campaign really needs to win three states — Pennsylvania Michigan and Wisconsin — that Hillary Clinton lost in 2016. It won’t be a whistle-stop tour, but Mr. Biden can still generate the news coverage he will need to win there.

With his home TV studio, he can beam into morning shows in Milwaukee and Madison. With his telephone, he can call into popular Philadelphia and Pittsburgh radio shows and be interviewed by reporters and columnists at The Detroit News and The Lansing State Journal. He can blanket the media in those states before he sits down for dinner — and all from the comfort of his Delaware home.