By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-10-06 20:06:57 | Updated at 2026-10-06 21:50:34
2 hours ago
Former President Barack Obama taped two dozen ads last week for Democratic candidates for governor and Senate across the country.
The ads are due to be released in the coming days and weeks, with several campaign stops still to be announced, and fewer than 30 days left until the midterm elections.
Obama’s ad appearances come as President Donald Trump has also been on the airwaves in recent weeks, with three government-funded ads featuring Trump appearing since late September.
The White House said the ads were intended as public service announcements, and the president said on Oct. 5 that he and his MAGA Inc. political action committee would pay for future promotional ads run by the White House that had initially been funded by taxpayer money.
Despite not being on the November ballot, Trump has also kicked his campaign appearances into high gear in recent weeks, with a slate of upcoming campaign stops for Republican candidates around the country still to come.
Obama will appear with Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson at a Detroit rally on Oct. 24, the first day of Michigan’s early in-person voting period.
“It is my honor and privilege to announce that President [Barack Obama] is joining us on the trail in Detroit on Saturday, October 24,” El-Sayed wrote in an Oct. 5 post on X.
The event is billed as a get-out-the-vote event including the three with the rest of the Michigan Democratic ticket.
“Everything is on the line this year: a U.S. Senate seat, an open governor’s race, and the leaders who will protect our rights and protect our elections for years to come,” the event description said.
“These races will be decided by who shows up, and this is our moment to bring it home.”
The open seat is expected to be one of a handful that decide which party controls the Senate next year. El-Sayed faces Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in next month’s race.
Republicans responded to the addition of Obama to the Democratic campaign slate in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on Tuesday.
“If Abdul El-Sayed was serious about getting money and influence out of politics, he wouldn’t be spending his time cozying up to Obama, the Soros family, and [New York Mayor] Zohran Mamdani,” National Republican Senatorial Committee regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell said in the email.
El-Sayed beat Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) by less than a percentage point in an August primary.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) backed El-Sayed, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) backed Stevens.
Some ads supporting Stevens during the primary showed Obama praising her.
Stevens won Wayne County, which includes Detroit, with about 51 percent to El-Sayed’s 45 percent. More than three-quarters of Detroit’s residents are black.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned with El-Sayed last month in Detroit at an event discussing black maternal health.
Benson faces Rep. John James (R-Mich.) in the governor’s race.
The two hold their first debate on Oct. 6, and El-Sayed and Rogers debate for the first time on Oct. 8.
Obama has been selective about his involvement in the midterms so far, but a late push follows the former president’s pattern in recent elections.
He campaigned in Michigan on Oct. 22 during the 2024 presidential race and on Oct. 29 during the 2022 midterms in Michigan and Wisconsin.
This week, Obama will also headline an event for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee that includes a conversation with Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.).
He held a similar event with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in September.
Earlier this year, Obama appeared in an ad for Democratic Iowa Senate candidate Josh Turek. He has also campaigned in Texas with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico and gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa.
Obama’s office did not respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times before publication.
Aldgra Fredly and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
