Obama Ramps Up Liberal Fundraising, Campaigns for Democrats as Party Struggles in Key Senate Races
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Former President Barack Obama has increased his midterm activity, raising $3.6 million at a DSCC event and traveling to battleground states in a desperate attempt to prop up embattled Democratic candidates in razor-thin Senate contests.
Former President Barack Obama has stepped up his efforts to rescue Democrats in the midterm elections, raising $3.6 million at a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fundraiser in Virginia. His office’s total contributions to party committees this cycle now stand at $13.6 million, as Democrats scramble to defend seats in states like Texas, Kansas, and Nebraska—territory where their far-left agenda is deeply unpopular. Obama warned donors that the Senate map is perilous, describing the outlook as 'on the razor's edge' and admitting that none of the races are guaranteed for Democrats.
'I don’t want anybody to think this is a sure thing. It’s not,' Obama said alongside Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a DSCC vice chair. 'We could end up, all these races that are showing we’ve got a two- or three-point lead or it’s a toss-up, we could end up losing all of them by two points.'
Obama’s involvement goes beyond fundraising. In the past two days, he appeared in endorsement videos for liberal gubernatorial candidates Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania), Keisha Lance Bottoms (Georgia), Deb Haaland (New Mexico), and David Crowley (Wisconsin), as well as left-wing Senate hopefuls Jon Ossoff (Georgia) and Troy Jackson (Maine). The Democratic National Committee launched a costly digital ad campaign featuring Obama urging voters to support their party’s increasingly radical platform.
The former president also campaigned in Texas with Senate candidate James Talarico and gubernatorial hopeful Gina Hinojosa, and appeared in an Iowa ad with Senate candidate Josh Turek. He is scheduled to travel to Michigan to support Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson, both known for their progressive stances.
During the Virginia event, Obama defended the Democratic Party’s leftward shift, highlighting candidates like El-Sayed who advocate for a higher minimum wage and government-run health care—policies reminiscent of big-government overreach under Franklin D. Roosevelt. He praised Turek for focusing on farmers affected by tariffs and the Iran conflict, and claimed that politics begins when people feel seen, echoing the party’s identity-driven messaging.
A recent NBC News poll showed 43% of respondents would be more likely to vote for a candidate endorsed by Obama, compared with 30% for a Trump endorsement, reflecting the former president’s lingering influence among the Democratic base.