Michelle Obama jumps into Silicon Valley brawl

First lady Michelle Obama is going to bat for Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.).

The seven-term lawmaker is running a tight race against former Commerce Department official Ro Khanna — a fellow Democrat — in one of the most expensive House races in the country.

{mosads}The first lady recorded phone calls for Honda’s campaign that will be going out to voters to get them to vote for the incumbent.

“Hi, this is Michelle Obama, and I’m calling because Barack and I are counting on you to support Mike Honda and the Democratic ticket this Nov. 4,” the first lady says in the minute-long pre-recorded call. “Your vote for Mike Honda will make a real difference in supporting our president.” 

The race between Honda and Khanna has tightened in recent weeks, after Honda blew out his opponent by 20 points in the primary earlier this year.

Strong backing from a number of tech industry executives and local newspaper editorial boards have bolstered Khanna’s support, even as Honda’s campaign has criticized him for being too centrist and a “Democrat in name only.”

Though both claim similar stances on a number of policy issues, Khanna has expressed more of a willingness to see piecemeal progress on issues like immigration, given the near certainty that Republicans will maintain a majority in the House after the midterms next Tuesday.