US elections: Obamas to hit the campaign trail in first joint appearance with Kamala Harris to rally support

Former United States President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama will make their first appearances alongside Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on the campaign trail next week, aiming to provide a powerful boost in the closing weeks of the election.

The US presidential election will be held on Nov 5 and the winner will serve four years in the White House starting from the inauguration on January 20 next year.

Obamas are immensely popular with the Democratic base and are expected to be effective closers in the final stretch of a campaign relying on turnout from loyal Democrats in states where victory margins are thin.

According to a senior campaign official, Harris is scheduled to appear with the former president in Georgia on Oct 24 and with Michelle Obama in Michigan on Oct 26.

It will be the former first lady’s first appearance campaigning for Harris. She is also scheduled to head a rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct 29 hosted by When We All Vote, a non-partisan civic engagement group founded by Obama in 2018.

Meanwhile, pollsters show the presidential race between Harris and Republican rival Donald Trump remains extremely close.

The campaign official was quoted as saying on Oct 18 that Harris advisers believe they can boost voter enthusiasm through the joint events, pointing to people who have signed up for nearly a thousand volunteer shifts during Obama's rally for Harris in Pennsylvania last week.

Pertinently, Obama recently campaigned for Harris for the first time, appearing alone in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Now the two will rally together.

Obama is scheduled to make additional appearances in Arizona and Nevada on Oct 25 and 26, followed by events in Madison, Wisconsin, and Detroit, Michigan, on Oct 22, all in the group of crucial swing states that could decide who take the White House in this election.

The polls have been notably concerning for the Democrats, and although Harris is leading among women of all races, she is struggling to get considerable support from men, including Hispanics and African Americans.

Obama on Oct 17 at a campaign rally rebuked Black men for not showing as much enthusiasm to Harris as he had received back in 2008 and 2012 and firmly urged them to support the idea of a woman being president.

"You're coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses, I've got a problem with that," Obama was quoted as saying at a campaign rally in Pittsburgh.

"Because part of it makes me think - and I'm speaking to men directly - part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren't feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you're coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that." he added.

On Oct 17, Obama posted on X ".@KamalaHarris has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a chance – and she's going to keep fighting for you. That's the kind of person I'm proud to vote for and that's the kind of president that we need."

Pertinently, the Obamas and Harris have a friendship spanning two decades. They first met when Harris helped host a fundraiser in San Francisco for Barack Obama’s 2004 senate run in Illinois, according to the New York Times.

Harris was an early supporter of Obama’s presidential campaign in the closely contested 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, and one of the few elected officials in California to back him over Hillary Clinton for the party’s nomination.

Obama served as America’s first black president from 2009-2017. If Harris wins in November she will become America’s first female president.

Since Biden stepped down in August 2024 from the presidential race and endorsed Harris, Obama has reportedly been an important adviser to her campaign.

According to the latest NBC News poll, the Democratic and Republican nominees are currently deadlocked in national polls, with each holding 48% support, just ahead of the Nov 5 election.

Harris is currently leading Trump by a narrow margin of 50% to 48% among likely voters, according to the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll, and the latest CBS News/YouGov poll reveals a tight presidential race, with Harris holding a narrow lead over Trump among likely voters, 51% to 48%.