Former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes said on Thursday that he believes Obama endorsed a long list of Democrats in order to help former staffers.
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On Wednesday, the former Democratic president released a list of which Democrats he is supporting in the 2018 midterm elections.
Rhodes told MSNBC that the “main” reason Obama got involved was to prop up former staffers from his administration and his campaign. (RELATED: Barack Obama Wants You To Know Who To Support In November)
“I see a lot of people that I worked with — so, a lot of alumni,” Rhodes said. “So, just here in New Jersey, Andy Kim, Tom Malinowski, both House candidates, worked with me closely. Out in California, we’ve got Buffy Wicks, who worked on our campaign in 2008. So, part of what he wanted to do was make sure that, you know, he encouraged part of what he wants his legacy to be, is that people who worked for him to get into politics and get into office.” (RELATED: Marie Harf: Ocasio-Cortez Is ‘Easy To Caricature,’ But She ‘Doesn’t Represent Democrats’)
“So, that’s the main impetus of this particular list is taking care of the alumni, giving them that push,” Rhodes continued, “but also showing that he’s going to be active.”