The 2024 Biden HAS begun…REALLY….

Two months after quietly announcing his candidacy with a video, Biden is running without a traditional campaign operation. While the Republican race resembles a slugfest between former president Donald Trump and his rivals, Biden’s operation is drifting ahead at a slower pace, betting that it can rely heavily on the Democratic National Committee’s infrastructure for support until later in the summer and into the fall.

“The campaign is still building out because there’s no reason for us to have a full-fledged campaign,” said a senior Biden adviser, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss campaign strategy. “We don’t feel that we have to be out there campaigning, mostly because we don’t have an opponent.”

This approach — in essence, campaigning without a campaign — allows Biden to stockpile money that he can spend later when the race heats up and he has a clear opponent. But the slow ramp-up may also make it harder for Biden to define his rivals early in the process, and it could be risky to rely on others to set up the ground operation for a reelection where turnout will be critical.

The Biden campaign has fewer than a dozen full-time staffers, while the DNC has about 300. The campaign is still working out of the DNC’s headquarters in Washington, though staffers have started scouting office space in Wilmington, Del., and one official said they expect to open an office later this summer. The DNC has also taken the lead in gathering opposition research on Republican presidential hopefuls and responding to their message.