Former President Barack Obama will begin campaigning in earnest for Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz starting next Thursday, October 10, and continuing through Election Day, according to a senior Harris campaign official.
Obama will kick off his campaign in the crucial state of Pennsylvania next Thursday. That will launch a series of events across key Rust Belt and Sun Belt battleground states, aimed at making an impact in a race that remains largely a dead heat, ABC News reported.
"President Obama believes the stakes of this election could not be more consequential, and that is why he is doing everything he can to help elect Vice President Harris, Governor Walz and Democrats across the country," Eric Schultz, a senior Obama adviser, said in a statement.
Last month, Obama headlined his first solo fundraiser for Harris in Los Angeles, raising over $4 million for her campaign. When President Joe Biden announced he was exiting the 2024 election race, Obama was quick to endorse Harris to take his place. The 2024 election, in Obama's view, is an "all hands on deck" moment, aides have said.
"I wish I could give you a four- or five-point plan as to how we're going to win this election. Truthfully, the plan is we're going to push through it," he said during the California fundraising event, according to excerpts from his office.
Harris and Obama's friendship spans 20 years, dating back to when they first met on the campaign trail during his run for the Senate. Harris was an early supporter of Obama, actively knocking on doors for him in Iowa in the lead-up to the caucus and an eventual two-term presidency.
In 2010, as president, Obama endorsed Harris in her successful bid to be the attorney general of California. At the time, he called Harris "a dear, dear friend of mine," adding: "I want everybody to do right by her."
As Harris hit the campaign trail Thursday alongside former Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, her campaign announced that actress Jennifer Garner would also be campaigning for her in Arizona. Last month, celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Chris Rock, and Ben Stiller supported Harris during a live-streamed town hall event.
