In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 3 election, former U.S. President Barack Obama visited Ohio, Michigan and Georgia—key battleground states in this year’s midterm election—to energize Democrats, a move he and many on the left see as an important step for his party to take over the House and Senate in 2026.
Obama was out of the political spotlight for most of the election season, until the weeks leading up to Nov. 3 election. Touching down to the battleground states, he held rallies to energize his base, each one a news cycle in its own right. Reporters flocked to record signature moments of the former president giving speeches on stage and on social media, Republicans gave fiery statements, commenting on Obama’s presence.
Democrats are seeking to win the majority in the House and the Senate this midterm election. As over 60% of voters disapprove of President Donald Trump, Democrats have continued to sharply critique the Trump administration. While stopping in the battleground states, Obama addressed issues such as the Iran conflict, which has increased the cost of gas and diesel, and the cost of living. The former president summed up Trump’s second term as “chaos, cruelty, corruption and incompetence,” according to CNN.
Obama made his first campaign stop in Cleveland on Oct. 24, where he campaigned for former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is running for Senate again, and gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton.
If Democrats don’t win in Ohio, it could jeopardize the party gaining the majority in the Senate. In the gubernatorial race, it would be an upset for Republicans if Acton wins, as the state has held a Republican governor since 2011. Additionally, there is a lot of attention in Ohio due to the vicious attack ads coming from both sides, specifically after a controversial ad from Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican nominee for governor, who aired a campaign that showed Acton’s estranged mother calling her daughter a liar. Obama publicly supported Acton and strongly criticized the Ramaswamy campaign.
Later the same day, Obama visited Detroit, focusing on Black voter turnout for Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson. This Senate race in Michigan will serve as a litmus test as to whether progressives like El-Sayed can win purple states like Michigan. To win comfortably, the Democratic Party needs the support of Black Michiganders, which is why it was so pivotal for Obama, the nation’s first Black president, to campaign in the state and generate a political fervor over El-Sayed’s campaign.
Obama stopped in Georgia on Oct. 28th, to support Sen. Jon Ossoff, the incumbent in this year’s Senate midterm race, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms. There, Obama spoke about the nation’s affordability crisis. Sen. Ossoff has a 10-point lead over Mike Collins, who is backed by Trump. The gubernatorial race is tighter, as Bottoms is ahead of her opponent Rick Jackson, who is also backed by Trump, by around 1 percentage point.
As of 9:26 p.m., Bottoms was elected as governor of Georgia, making her the first Black woman to lead the state. Bottoms was previously the mayor of Atlanta, according to the Associated Press.
As of 9:52 p.m., Sen. Ossoff was reelected as U.S. senator of Georgia, according to the Associated Press.
With a popular and beloved figure in Obama criticizing Republican policies and the current administration, it could lead Americans to listen to what the former president has to say about the current state of the country.
