First lady gets Braley’s name right this time

Michelle Obama was back in Iowa on Tuesday to lend her support to Senate candidate Rep. Bruce Braley (D) — and this time she got his name right. 

{mosads}Speaking at the University of Iowa, the first lady lauded Braley as the heir to retiring Sen. Tom Harkin’s (D-Iowa) legacy and touted Democratic initiatives that have helped young people.

She also asked the young audience to vote early. Democrats are hoping that their finely-tuned field operation in Iowa will help them get enough voters to the polls to help Braley beat Republican Joni Ernst. Polls have shown the two in a tight race, in part due to Braley’s missteps. 

At her last appearance on the stump for the candidate, the first lady mistakenly referred to him as “Bruce Bailey” before being corrected by a member of the crowd.

On Tuesday, that was fodder for a joke that started her speech: she said that she has called her husband by the name of their dog, Bo.

The first lady will also appear in Minnesota on Tuesday to campaign for Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.).

The White House on Wednesday dismissed the incident, saying “the number of people who heard her remarks is significantly higher than those of you who are closely reading the transcript.”

“I think that the fact that the first lady was campaigning in Iowa yesterday in support of Congressman Braley’s campaign, and that the vice president is heading there next week, says all you need to know about the White House’s commitment to the success of Democrats like Mr. Braley,” press secretary Josh Earnest said.

This story was updated on Oct. 22 at 3:20 p.m.