Former President Barack Obama will campaign for Democratic candidates in Atlanta, Detroit and Milwaukee ahead of the November midterms, his office said Saturday.
Obama will stump in “targeted” battleground states for “candidates up and down the ballot, especially in races and states that will have consequences for the administration of 2024 elections,” according to the release.
Key to Democrats’ aspirations this cycle is control of the Senate, which remains on a knife's-edge: POLITICO currently rates control of the chamber a toss-up. Meanwhile, gubernatorial and secretary-of-state races will determine the officials who will oversee the presidential election in 2024.
In Georgia, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is locked in a close race with Republican challenger and former football star Herschel Walker. Obama is scheduled to travel to the Peach State Oct. 28. In Wisconsin, where Obama will travel Oct. 29, Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has fallen behind incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in recent polls.
In Michigan, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s lead over Republican challenger Tudor Dixon has narrowed to single digits in recent polls. Michigan was a hotbed of electoral challenges in the most recent presidential election, and the official who oversaw its administration, Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, is on the ballot in November. Her Trump-endorsed challenger, Kristina Karamo, rose to prominence after challenging the 2020 election results and spreading misinformation about the election.
Obama, who in his post-presidency remains a political lightning rod, has been wary that his campaigning may serve to turn out more voters on the right than the left. He has recently fundraised on both coasts.
President Joe Biden, currently on a West Coast fundraising swing through California and Oregon, campaigned in Colorado this week with Sen. Michael Bennet, who maintains a healthy poll lead over GOP challenger Joe O’Dea.
Biden will travel to Philadelphia with Vice President Kamala Harris on Oct. 28 to fundraise with Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman amid his tightening race with Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz, the White House announced Saturday.
