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Former President Barack Obama with Kamala Harris in 2022. Pic: AP
Former US president Barack Obama will lend his star power to Kamala Harris’s campaign in the must-win swing state of Pennsylvania on Thursday, as Democrats struggle to gain momentum against Donald Trump.
America’s first Black president will lead a rally in Pittsburgh, his first stop on a month-long tour of battleground states, urging early votes ahead of November’s closely contested election.
While Harris heads to other key states, Nevada and Arizona, to engage Latino voters, the White House confirmed that the vice president also participated in a virtual briefing on Hurricane Milton, which struck Florida overnight.
Republican former president Trump intensified his attacks on Harris and President Joe Biden over their hurricane response – criticisms Biden has dismissed as an “onslaught of lies.”
“Hopefully on January 20, you’ll have someone who will truly help you,” Trump said in a video message to Florida residents, where he resides.
Trump’s campaign also criticised Harris on economic issues after US consumer inflation eased last month, though slightly less than anticipated. Rising prices remain a key concern in the election.
“Kamala Harris’s terrible economic policies continue to hurt Americans,” campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Highlighting Pennsylvania’s importance, Trump held a rally in Scranton on Wednesday, Biden’s hometown, and is scheduled to visit Detroit, Michigan, another key battleground, on Thursday.
Harris, meanwhile, confirmed her participation in a CNN town hall on 23 October in Pennsylvania, after Trump declined a final televised debate with her.
‘All hands on deck’ –
Democrats are hoping that Obama, 63 – who served as president from 2009 to 2017 before Trump’s single term – can energise Harris’s campaign in the closely contested race.
Despite an initial surge in the polls following her replacement of Biden as the Democratic nominee, and raising a reported $1 billion in campaign funds, Harris and Trump remain effectively tied both nationally and in key states.
“President Obama believes this is an all-hands-on-deck moment, which is why he’ll do everything he can to help elect Vice President Harris,” his office said.
Obama is expected to highlight the “enormous stakes” of the election and stress the importance of early voting in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state.
Historically, Democrats have favoured early voting more than Republicans, while Trump has consistently criticised non-day-of voting, blaming mail-in ballots for his 2020 loss to Biden.
Obama remains a highly influential figure within the Democratic Party and endorsed Harris, 59, after Biden withdrew from the race in July.
Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama delivered widely praised speeches in support of Harris at the Democratic National Convention in August.
He depicted Harris – the first Black and South Asian woman to serve as vice president – as his political successor, leading chants of “Yes she can,” a nod to his own 2008 campaign slogan, “Yes we can.” However, he cautioned that 2024 would still be a “tight race in a closely divided country.”
The former president has raised more than $76 million for Harris’s campaign in this year’s election.
Additionally, former president Bill Clinton is expected to campaign for Harris in battleground states in the coming days, according to CNN.
AFP
