WASHINGTON – Former US President Barack Obama will campaign for Democratic Party candidates in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin later this month ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections that will determine control of the US Congress.
Obama will stump for candidates for federal and state offices, appearing in Atlanta on Oct. 28 before traveling to Detroit and Milwaukee on Oct. 29, his office said on Saturday.
Republicans are seen winning control of the US House of Representatives and possibly the US Senate as well. Several Republicans who want to upend the way votes are cast and counted are also running for top election administrator offices in their states.
Obama will tell voters that Democrats are the party for protecting abortion rights but a main theme in his appearances will also be that Democrats can be better trusted to keep elections fair, with the next presidential contest slated for 2024.
“He looks forward to stumping for candidates up and down the ballot, especially in races and states that will have consequences for the administration of 2024 elections,” Obama’s office said in a statement, which was issued as President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat, was set to appear at a rally in Portland supporting the party’s candidates.
Former President Donald Trump, a Republican, is also holding campaign events to support Republicans, with the rallies featuring speeches in which he has repeatedly hinted he might run for president again in 2024.
Trump has falsely claimed fraud marred the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Biden won.
Republicans who back Trump’s false claim have become their party’s nominees for top election officials in states that could play decisive roles in the 2024 contest. — Reuters
