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Former President Barack Obama has been increasing his involvement in the 2026 elections this week, lending his name to a new effort to boost Democrats‘ chances and endorsing a handful of candidates in battlegrounds.
The former president appeared in a new series of digital ads for the Democratic National Committee aimed at driving voter turnout, boosting grassroots fundraising, and turning “hope into action,” after telling donors “there are states right now in play that I would not have imagined being in play,” according to CBS News. The six-figure ad buy comes as Democrats are hoping to reclaim a Senate majority by picking up seats in Michigan, North Carolina, Maine, Alaska, Texas, and a handful of other states where Republican candidates are viewed as vulnerable.
“Democrats are heading into November with the wind at our backs and momentum on our side, but we’re not taking anything for granted,” DNC Chairman Ken Martin told the outlet. “President Obama’s support will motivate and mobilize voters in the home stretch and help Democrats across the country win in races up and down the ballot.”
The development comes as Obama heads to Michigan to campaign for Democratic Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed. The Michigan candidate has been criticized for his views on Israel and Jews, as well as his ties to Hasan Piker, a Twitch streamer turned political activist viewed by many as antisemitic. But Obama defended el Sayed as someone in line with old-style Democrats, adding that he is pleasantly surprised at how well candidates are doing across the country, including in traditionally red Texas, where Senate Democratic nominee James Talarico is giving GOP rival Ken Paxton a run for his money.
“There are states right now in play that I would not have imagined being in play,” Obama told donors during a fundraiser Wednesday night. “If you had told me that the polling currently shows James Talarico ahead of Ken Paxton, now, Paxton helps. And James is an outstanding candidate. But if — had you told me that he was going to be up in the polls this late, I would have said, ‘Eh, I don’t think so.'”
“I’m going to go to Michigan to campaign for Abdul El-Sayed,” he added. “And people are like, ‘Well, he’s really left wing.’ But I don’t know — he’s for a higher minimum wage and healthcare for all, and it doesn’t seem crazy to me. You know, FDR was for that, too.”
Polling in Michigan and Texas appears to indicate razor-tight races, leading Republicans to pump hundreds of millions in outside spending in those states and others to protect their narrow majority in the Senate.
Democrats are looking to counteract that momentum in the final weeks before the election, with Obama’s increasing involvement signaling his party believes it has a real chance of flipping competitive seats blue.
REPUBLICANS WELCOME TRUMP’S HELP, JUST NOT IN BATTLEGROUNDS
“I know that he knows the critical role that Michigan is going to play in holding Trump accountable, in winning back the Senate, and in building forward the future that we need,” El Sayed said after winning the Michigan primary in August, when he had a “very warm” phone call with Obama.
The former president has kept his endorsements to Senate and gubernatorial candidates thus far and has not endorsed any candidates running for the House of Representatives.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
