Biden to help Illinois Dems

Vice President Biden will head to Illinois next week for a series of campaign events and fundraisers to benefit Democratic candidates in the final stretch before Election Day.

{mosads}The vice president will headline an early voting event on Oct. 22 for Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Democratic Lt. Gov. candidate Paul Vallas, according to Schneider’s campaign.

Schneider, whose district is in Chicago’s northern suburbs, is locked in a tough reelection battle against former Rep. Bob Dold (R-Ill.). Durbin is expected to easily sail to reelection, while polls indicate the Democrats’ gubernatorial candidate in the state is narrowly ahead.

While in Chicago, Biden will also attend a fundraiser for Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) at the home of former senior Obama adviser David Axelrod according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Udall ranks among the most vulnerable incumbent Democrats seeking reelection, with a High Point/Survey USA poll released last week showing him slightly trailing Republican Cory Gardner, down 4 percentage points.

It will be Biden’s second campaign trip to Illinois this fall — in late August, he headlined a fundraiser for Gov. Pat Quinn and appeared at a minimum wage event with former White House chief of staff and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Both President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have also traveled to their home state to help out local Democrats. The first lady has made multiple campaign appearances for Quinn in recent weeks, and cut her lone television campaign ad so far this cycle for the vulnerable Democrat. The president also appeared at a fundraiser for the governor earlier this month, and, according to the Sun-Times will be back in Chicago next Monday for another fundraising event.