Politics

Democrats Use Barack Obama In Attempt To Resuscitate Midterm Chances

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Diana Glebova White House Correspondent
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Democrats are using former President Barack Obama to breathe life into their midterm campaigns as President Joe Biden’s poll numbers remain underwater nearly a week before the elections.

Biden’s former boss is set to travel to states with tight races this week, including Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania, days after he already campaigned in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. He has also released an ad for Democratic Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman after he stumbled in his debate against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz and received low public appeal for his performance. (RELATED: Obama Jumps Into Pennsylvania Midterms After Fetterman’s Error-Filled Debate Performance)

Obama will appear next to Biden in Pennsylvania to campaign for Fetterman on Nov. 5, weeks after the president met with the senate candidate in Philadelphia on Oct. 20. (RELATED: Biden And Harris Set To Campaign For Fetterman)

A recent Reuters/IPSOS poll shows Biden’s approval numbers at 39%, while Obama’s approval was at 59% when he left office in January 2017. His popularity does not appear to be waning, as one clip of Obama saying Republicans are after Social Security — using the same rhetoric as Biden on the midterms — got over 13 million views on Twitter.

The former president has claimed Americans should vote Democrat in November to “protect reproductive rights” and “keep moving our country forward.”

Obama’s presence on the campaign trail comes as some Democrats have publicly stated they don’t want to be seen next to Biden, and first lady Jill Biden has increasingly travelled without her husband in campaign efforts. The president snapped at a reporter when he was asked about the low number of candidates asking for him to be by their side, telling the reporter to “count, kid, count!”