Obama, Biden to campaign together in Michigan

Former President Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will campaign together in Michigan on Saturday as Democrats make a full-court press in the key swing state.

The Biden campaign said Obama and his former vice president will stump together in the Wolverine State to “address the crises facing the country and win the battle for the soul of the nation.” No further details were immediately available regarding the appearance, and the Biden campaign told The Hill it had nothing to share beyond what was in the press release announcing the event. 

Michigan is anticipated to be a top battleground in the presidential race after Trump narrowly flipped it in 2016, marking the first time a Republican presidential ticket won the state since 1988.

A New York Times-Siena College poll released Wednesday showed Biden with a 49 percent to 41 percent lead over Trump among likely voters in the state, which is also hosting a competitive Senate race. The former vice president has led in most polls of the Wolverine State. 

But the event with Obama shows the Biden campaign is leaving nothing to chance, choosing the state for a joint appearance with the Democratic Party’s most powerful surrogate. 

Obama remains popular with large swaths of the Democratic base, and the Biden campaign is hoping he can help gin up support among Blacks, Hispanics and young people in particular. All three demographics were crucial parts of the so-called “Obama coalition” but lagged in turnout in 2016, contributing in part to President Trump’s upset victory.

Trump has made efforts to appeal to Black and Hispanic voters during the campaign in the hopes that chipping into Biden’s lead with them even at the margins could make the difference in swing states. 

Obama has already made a number of solo appearances for his former No. 2, including in Pennsylvania and two stops in Florida, both major swing states in their own right.