Former President Barack Obama, 65, has recorded campaign ads for two dozen Democratic candidates for Senate and governor, his team told Politico on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026.
The ads will be released over the coming days and weeks, and more appearances are still to be announced. The midterms are Nov. 3.
A Washington-area fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) on Wednesday, Oct. 7, will have Obama as its headliner, marking his first event of the cycle with the party’s Senate campaign arm. Delaware Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a DSCC vice chair, will join him in conversation at the event.
Detroit Rally Set for Oct. 24
The Michigan Democratic Party announced Monday, Oct. 5, that Obama will headline a Detroit rally on Saturday, Oct. 24. Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson and other statewide candidates will appear alongside him.
Michigan’s required early in-person voting period opens that same day, which lands 10 days before Election Day. El-Sayed called Obama’s visit an honor in a post on social media welcoming the news.
Obama’s approach, his aides said, “is driven by where he can move the needle with Democrats and persuadable voters, particularly in states with key races.”
What Is at Stake in Michigan
Michigan Sen. Gary Peters is retiring, leaving an open Senate seat expected to help decide which party controls the chamber. Voters there will also pick a governor, a secretary of state and an attorney general, with the legislature’s control on the line as well.
Republican Rep. John James and Benson, the secretary of state, met Tuesday, Oct. 6, for their first debate. A first meeting between El-Sayed and Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers is set for Thursday, Oct. 8.
A Primary Watched Nationally
El-Sayed beat Rep. Haley Stevens by less than a percentage point in the August primary, a contest the rest of the country read as a measure of where the party was headed. Behind El-Sayed stood Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Stevens had the backing of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
Stevens’ primary ads included footage of Obama praising her. Wayne County, which includes Detroit, went for her by roughly 51 percent to 45 percent, and Black residents make up more than three-quarters of Detroit’s population. A phone call from Obama reached El-Sayed after his win, and former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned with El-Sayed in September.
Obama’s Earlier Campaign Stops
Senate nominee James Talarico and gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa drew Obama to the campaign trail in Texas, and Iowa Senate nominee Josh Turek got him for an ad. He also headlined a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) event in September.
A CNN poll conducted May 7-31 found 57 percent of Americans view Obama favorably, with Trump at 34 percent. Trump’s approval stood at 32 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Sept. 21, the lowest of his political career, with the cost of living and the war with Iran cited as drags.
Democrats led the generic congressional ballot 52 percent to 43 percent among likely voters, according to an NBC News polling average published in late September.
