Former U.S. President Barack Obama is set to campaign for Kamala Harris in key swing states.
His campaign for the Democratic presidential candidate will kick off in Pittsburgh next week.
According to the Harris campaign, Obama will travel across the country during the final 27 days before the election. Obama and Harris have been friends for about 20 years, first meeting while he was running for Senate.
The former president and other key Democrats reportedly played a crucial role behind the scenes in persuading President Joe Biden to step aside for the 2024 race. Obama’s presence on the campaign trail is expected to stand in stark contrast to Biden’s relatively few public appearances since he stepped down to make way for Harris.
During a speech at the Democratic convention in August, Obama said Harris “wasn’t born into privilege. She had to work for what she’s got.”
“And she actually cares about what other people are going through,” he added.
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Harris has long been an early supporter of Obama. In 2008, she knocked on doors for his presidential bid in Iowa, ahead of the caucuses that began voting in the Democratic primary.
Given Obama’s influence in the United States, his decision to campaign for Harris is expected to boost her candidacy.
This comes after Harris gained majority support among Black swing-state voters in a recent poll.
As Face2Face Africa reported earlier, a Public Opinion Poll conducted by Howard University surveyed 963 likely Black voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—the seven key battleground states. The results show 82% plan to vote for Harris, while 12% support former President Donald Trump. Another 5% remain undecided, and 1% intend to vote for a different candidate.
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