Former President Barack Obama will visit three swing states in the closing days of the mid-term elections.
Obama will visit Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin according to Fox News, beginning his campaign swing on Oct. 28 in Atlanta, where Democrat Stacey Abrams is taking on Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is also trying to hold his seat against Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Georgia.
The next day, Obama will be in Detroit to support Michigan Democrats including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. A Whitmer release indicated the focus of the event is on abortion, voting rights and education, Fox said.
Obama will head to Wisconsin the same day for an event in Milwaukee to support Gov. Tony Evers and other Democrats.
Abortion will be one of the major issues that event, as well.
The focus on abortion could be a mistake, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont wrote in an Op-Ed for the Guardian.
“I am alarmed to hear the advice that many Democratic candidates are getting from establishment consultants and directors of well-funded Super Pacs that the closing argument of Democrats should focus only on abortion. Cut the 30-second abortion ads and coast to victory,” he wrote.
“I disagree. In my view, while the abortion issue must remain on the front burner, it would be political malpractice for Democrats to ignore the state of the economy,” he wrote.
Will Obama increase Democrats’ odds of winning in November?
Sanders argued that “in poll after poll Republicans are more trusted than Democrats to handle the economy — the issue of most importance to people. I believe that if Democrats do not fight back on economic issues and present a strong pro-worker agenda, they could well be in the minority in both the House and the Senate next year.”
Republicans are also running on a message that Democrats are responsible for rising crime, according to WOWK-TV.
“From Philadelphia to Albuquerque to Atlanta, Americans are frightened by what they see on the nightly news,” said Nathan Brand, deputy communications director for the Republican National Committee.
“Violent crime is on the rise in Democrat-run cities, and families know Democrat policies are to blame. Ultimately, Democrats can’t outrun their crime agenda, voters are worried about their security, and the midterms will be determined by who has the stronger public safety message,” he said.
Obama’s late entry into the race contrasts with the early involvement of another former president: Donald Trump has been crisscrossing the country to support Republicans.
In a recent rally in Arizona, he said Democrats have hamstrung America, according to the Arizona Republic.
“We are a nation in decline. We are a nation that in many ways has become a joke,” he said.
“But we are not going to allow this horror to continue,” he said.
“It is hard-working patriots like you who are going to save this country.”
