Former President Barack Obama, 65, endorsed Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson in Maine in a video the Jackson campaign shared on the morning of Oct. 8, 2026, praising the former state senator as a blue-collar champion.
“I’m proud to be on board. In this economy, we need a fighter like Troy,” Obama said in the video. He also said: “Do not sit this one out. Get out there and vote for Troy Jackson.”
Jackson and Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins debated on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Collins “struggled on Tuesday to defend her record in office against Jackson’s attacks that she has failed everyday voters,” and she is now behind Jackson in the polls, in a seat her party has held for almost 30 years. The two are set for a second debate within three days of that one.
Two Dozen Campaign Ads
Obama has recorded campaign ads for two dozen Democratic candidates for the Senate and governor. His expanded midterm plans were “shared first with The Associated Press,” and the ads were taped “last week,” the week before Oct. 5. The ads will be released over the coming days and weeks, and more appearances are still to be announced. The midterms are Nov. 3.
His approach “is driven by where he can move the needle with Democrats and persuadable voters, particularly in states with key races,” according to Obama’s aides.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) drew Obama to a Washington-area fundraiser on Wednesday, Oct. 7, the first time this cycle he has appeared for the Senate campaign arm. Delaware Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a DSCC vice chair, joined him in conversation there.
Senate nominee James Talarico and gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa have already campaigned alongside him in Texas, and Iowa Senate nominee Josh Turek has featured him in an ad. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) also had him headline an event in September.
Detroit Rally Set for Oct. 24
The Michigan Democratic Party announced that Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson and other statewide candidates will join Obama at a Detroit rally he is headlining on Saturday, Oct. 24. The party made the announcement on Monday, Oct. 5. That date sits 10 days ahead of Election Day, and it opens the first day of Michigan’s required early in-person voting period.
El-Sayed welcomed the news on social media, calling Obama’s visit an honor.
Sen. Gary Peters is retiring, leaving an open Michigan Senate seat expected to help decide which party controls the chamber. Voters there will also choose a new governor, secretary of state and attorney general, and control of the legislature is at stake. Republican Rep. John James and Benson, the secretary of state, met for their first debate Tuesday, Oct. 6. A first meeting between Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers and El-Sayed is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 8.
A Primary That Split Democrats
Rep. Haley Stevens lost the August primary to El-Sayed by less than a percentage point, in a race the country read as a referendum on where Democrats are headed. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lined up behind El-Sayed; Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer went with Stevens, who ran primary ads featuring footage of Obama praising her. Obama phoned El-Sayed after his primary win, and former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned with El-Sayed in September.
Wayne County, which includes Detroit, went to Stevens by roughly 51 percent to 45 percent. Black residents make up more than three-quarters of Detroit’s population.
Where the Polls Stand
Americans view Obama favorably by 57 percent, according to a CNN poll conducted May 7-31, a figure well ahead of Trump at 34 percent. Just under half of voters told NBC last month that an Obama endorsement would make them more likely to vote for a given candidate. Trump’s approval stood at 32 percent, the lowest of his political career, in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Sept. 21, which cited cost of living and the war with Iran as drags. Democrats led the generic congressional ballot 52 percent to 43 percent among likely voters in an NBC News polling average published in late September.