Michelle Obama’s Campaign Trail Support For Kamala Harris: A Game Changer For The Democrats

Former first lady Michelle Obama hitting the campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris could hugely help the Democratic nominee's campaign for the White House, experts told Newsweek. On Saturday, she will appear with Harris at a get-out-the-vote event in Michigan, according to a senior Harris campaign official. Her husband, former President Barack Obama, has been campaigning in swing states and is set to appear alongside Harris at a Thursday event in Georgia. Further details about the events have not been disclosed.

Saturday's event will be the former first lady's first time on the campaign trail to support Harris and will coincide with the first day of early voting in Michigan. Michelle Obama will also headline an Atlanta rally on October 29 hosted by When We All Vote, a nonpartisan civic engagement group that she founded in 2018 "to change the culture around voting."

These events come as a recent poll found that a significant number of Black voters, a crucial voting bloc that propelled President Joe Biden to victory in 2020, remain undecided about their voting choice in November's election. Michelle Obama's involvement could provide Harris, the first Black and Asian American woman to serve as vice president, with a boost in the final weeks of a very close race against former President Donald Trump, which could be decided by small margins in battleground states like Michigan and Georgia.

Obama is one of the nation's most popular public figures, with a 61 percent favorability rating, according to YouGov. Her husband, who also remains popular, has a 59 percent rating. The former first lady was even floated as a possible contender to replace Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket earlier this year, despite repeatedly shutting down speculation about making a run for the White House. The Obamas endorsed Harris after Biden dropped out of the race in July, and they delivered rousing speeches at the Democratic National Convention in August.

In her speech, Obama warned Democrats about what's at stake in the election and urged them to make sure they "do something" to stop Trump from winning a second term.

Asked for comment, Obama's spokesperson, Crystal Carson, directed Newsweek to an Instagram post that Obama shared over the weekend. "This election couldn't be closer. Every single vote will matter — even a handful of votes could be decisive in a swing state. That's why we've all got to #DoSomething during these final few days of the election," Obama wrote in the caption. "I'm getting out on the campaign trail with @KamalaHarris next week. Will you all #DoSomething? Will you make your voting plans? Will you help others do the same?"

Commenters on the post shared their plans, with one writing: "We are bringing over 150 friends to Philly to go door to door and GOTV for Kamala the 5 days leading up to Election Day!"

Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University, described the former first lady as "an effective closer" and said her campaigning with Harris is likely to help rally voters ahead of Election Day. "Michelle Obama is Democrats' not-so-secret weapon," Panagopoulos told Newsweek. "She's very popular, across the board but especially with Black women, who would be crucial to a Harris victory, and she's a very powerful speaker." He added that "deploying her strategically in key states is likely to be helpful to the Harris campaign."

Katherine Tate, a political science professor at Brown University, said that Obama's presence on the campaign trail will "generate excitement." "There was a lot of enthusiasm for Harris in the beginning, but it has leveled off. Michelle Obama will generate a lot of excitement for the race again," Tate, the author of From Protest to Politics: The New Black Voters in American Elections, told Newsweek. She "is known for connecting with voters at a personal level. She can help Harris draw in bigger crowds," Tate added. "Obama's endorsement will deepen the existing support that Harris has from Black women. Obama will make the choice between Harris and Trump clear."