Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama rolled out a laundry list of endorsements for the November midterm elections, including candidates for governor, both chambers of Congress and state-wide races.
The former president has been relatively quiet since leaving office, occasionally weighing in on national issues but often shying away from making public statements. Other than throwing his weight behind Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California’s reelection campaign, Wednesday’s announcement is the first major move Obama has made this election cycle.
Obama is supporting a number of big-name candidates, like the former head of the Consumer Financial Protections Bureau during his administration, Richard Cordray. What is interesting is that the former president is endorsing over a dozen state-wide candidates for House and Senate. (RELATED: Cordray Retiring From CFPB, And May Be Running For Governor)
Today I’m proud to endorse such a wide and impressive array of Democratic candidates – leaders as diverse, patriotic, and big-hearted as the America they’re running to represent: pic.twitter.com/gWzalQhFas
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 1, 2018
Obama, notably, did not endorse House Democratic candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who made waves after she defeated Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley of New York in June. He also did not endorse New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. (RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez Thinks There Should Be Something Like A House Candidate)
Fifty House Republicans are either resigning, retiring or seeking other office in 2018. Roughly 22 House members retire each election cycle, so to say the party is going through a rather seismic shift is not a misnomer. Democrats are hoping to pick up enough seats to take back the House, which the president’s endorsement could bolster.
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