OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama is finally hitting the campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris on October 26 and with less than two weeks before election day.
“Michelle Obama is finally out of the shadows now, as the Democrats are preparing to pitch her and Harris together for the Michigan phase, which will be the final leg in the election campaigning. Michelle has been largely absent from the entire election race other than her appearance in the Democratic National Convention 2024. Kamala Harris has been from how lacking her support in the US polls race but now it seems that Michelle is finally back to lead from the core,” the Economic Times reported.
Obama previously said she had no plans to stump for Harris, but apparently, she’s changed her mind and “will headline a rally in Atlanta alongside Hollywood elitists such as Jennifer Lopez, Tom Hanks, and Kerry Washington,” the Economic Times added.
Professional basketball players, including Stephen Curry and Chris Paul, are also expected to attend. The Associated Press reported that she would focus on encouraging voters of color and first-time voters to participate in the November 5 election, the report continued.
As polls increasingly indicate a positive shift in favor of former President Donald Trump, the Harris campaign appears to be entering panic mode. The vice president’s last-minute efforts to campaign alongside prominent figures suggest she is concerned about a repeat of the 2016 election, where Trump won decisively against twice-failed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
“The rally is likely to help the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, in a closely contested state. Obama is one of the party’s best-known figures and gave a speech boosting Harris’ candidacy at the national convention in August,” the AP reported.
Nate Silver’s most recent update to his election model showed a big change in the 2024 presidential race. The model especially showed how support for former President Donald Trump was growing faster than support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
At the moment, Harris has a small lead with 50.1%, which is down 4.8%, while Trump has 49.7%, which is up 4.8%.
Some of the most important swing states, like the Midwest and Sun Belt, are now moving toward Trump. Trump also has a big lead in places like Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. However, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are still close.
Silver, a top pollster from the 2016 and 2020 races, said: “We’re just not seeing as many Harris +3 type numbers in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania as we did immediately after the debate.”
The move has been linked to Harris’s post-debate support stabilizing, as initial gains did not last and she is now trailing.
Donald Trump leads Kamala Harris in every swing state on @Kalshi
Overall odds:
🔴Trump: 56%
🔵Harris: 44% pic.twitter.com/WIQaVAHHBk— Martin Walsh (@MWalshUS) October 20, 2024
🚨🚨
Real Clear Politics has Trump at a 93.2% chance of winning the electoral college pic.twitter.com/CzrpYL06tA
— Martin Walsh (@MWalshUS) October 20, 2024
Harry Enten, the senior data analyst for CNN, said that the momentum of the presidential election is changing swiftly and not in favor of Democrat presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.
He joined CNN anchor Kate Bolduan on Friday, where he said that the Democrat’s momentum had stalled, and while she remains more popular than the Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, he believes that will not be enough to give her the presidency.
He explained that in 2016, the Democrat nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was more popular than him, and he won.
In the 2020 election, Joe Biden was more popular and won only by a slim margin.
