Barack Obama Endorses Over 200 Candidates In Midterm Push

As election day approaches for what has been widely called one of the most important midterm elections in recent memory, challengers and incumbents from both sides of the aisle are seeking support from their respective parties’ super-stars.

In a tweet posted on Monday, former President Barack Obama has released his second wave of endorsements for Democratic candidates running for office in November.

This second list of candidates receiving the former president’s support contains 260 names, which when combined with his first list released in August, brings his total number of midterm endorsements to well over 300.

Standouts among the role call are New York Congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive political newbie who defeated 10-term New York Congressman Joe Crowley in the district primary, and Ohio House of Representatives candidate Rachel Crooks, who has accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault.

Obama says that his list contains candidates who “aren’t just running against something, but for something.”

Today, I’m proud to endorse even more Democratic candidates who aren’t just running against something, but for something—to expand opportunity for all of us and to restore dignity, honor, and compassion to public service. They deserve your vote: pic.twitter.com/NO5jnhX3XD

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 1, 2018

A statement released from the former president’s office, Obama explains that his focus is fixed on solving the problem of gerrymandering and on winning key districts. As such, many of the candidates appearing on the list are in races that are “redistricting priorities,” or are in “close races in which his support would make a meaningful difference.”

Over two thirds of the candidates that received endorsements are involved in state elections, reflecting his desire to build “building a pipeline of diverse talent and elevating the next generation of leaders within the Democratic Party.”

Obama went on to say, “Our incredible array of candidates up and down the ticket, all across the country, make up a movement of citizens who are younger, more diverse, more female than ever before.”

More than 60 percent of Obama’s endorsements are women.

Other notable endorsements include four candidates for the Senate, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Bill Nelson of Florida, Tina Smith of Minnesota, and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, as well as two gubernatorial candidates, Andrew Gillum of Florida and Ben Jealous of Maryland.