Jill Biden to appear with embattled Rep. Maloney in New York

First lady Jill Biden will campaign on Sunday alongside Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), the head of House Democrats’ campaign arm who is in a tough reelection fight.

Biden will travel to New York for a series of events to support Democratic candidates and the state Democratic Party, the White House announced Thursday.

The first lady will appear alongside Maloney in Mount Kisco for a “political finance event” before traveling to Plainview for an event with Robert Zimmerman, the Democratic candidate in New York’s 3rd Congressional District.

The first lady will also deliver remarks at a Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee event in New York City on Sunday evening.

Maloney is facing an increasingly competitive race. The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report on Monday shifted its rating of the race from “lean Democrat” to “toss up.”

Last week the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a super PAC aligned with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), took out a $4 million ad buy for Maloney’s race, on top of $2 million the group had previously spent. And this week the National Republican Congressional Committee announced it was increasing its ad buy for the district by $867,000, making the group’s total spending in the race almost $1.8 million.  

Maloney, who currently represents New York’s 18th Congressional District, is the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and is one of the highest-profile vulnerable lawmakers on the ballot next month. He is facing state Assemblyman Mike Lawler (R) in this midterm election.

He made the controversial decision to run in the 17th Congressional District this year after redistricting pushed Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), who currently represents the 17th District, into running in the 10th District and ultimately losing his primary.

Jill Biden’s trip to New York comes as she’s become increasingly visible on the campaign trail for Democrats. The first lady has strong favorability ratings and is one of the most sought after surrogates for Democrats as President Biden and Vice President Harris deal with middling approval ratings.

The first lady will also campaign for New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) in the coming days.