Obama hits campaign trail as Michigan becomes proxy battle between former and current presidents

With less than a month remaining before the US midterm elections, former President Barack Obama is set to hit the campaign trail in earnest. President Donald Trump has also signaled plans to stump in key battleground states, setting the stage for a proxy contest between the two presidents in Michigan.

According to AP and The Washington Post, Obama is scheduled to campaign alongside Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit, Michigan, on Oct. 24 (local time).

El-Sayed, a progressive candidate within the Democratic Party, is locked in a neck-and-neck race within the margin of error against Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers.

Michigan is considered a must-hold state in the Democratic Party's strategy to reclaim the Senate majority. Republicans currently hold 53 seats to the Democrats' 47, meaning Democrats need to pick up four seats to secure a majority.

Michigan is particularly critical because Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is not seeking re-election, eliminating the incumbency advantage. Democrats must first defend their existing seat before they can hope to flip Republican-held ones.

El-Sayed secured the nomination after a hard-fought primary in August, but mobilizing core Democratic constituencies — including Black voters — to the polls remains a key challenge.

That is why Obama's entry into the race is drawing attention. The Washington Post noted the significance of Obama, who has largely kept his distance from intraparty policy debates and been selective about endorsements, now stepping directly into a pivotal battleground in the final stretch of the campaign.

On the Republican side, Trump is firing back.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday (local time), Trump said he planned to travel to Michigan "in about a week and a half." He has previously announced plans to hold campaign rallies at 35 competitive locations ahead of the midterms.

The Michigan Senate race is therefore expected to become not just a contest between the two parties' candidates, but a test of the political influence of a former and a sitting president.

Obama is expanding his campaign efforts beyond Michigan. Last week he recorded 24 political ads supporting Democratic gubernatorial and Senate candidates, which are set to be released soon. This week he is attending a Democratic Senate candidate fundraiser in Washington, D.C.

Earlier, he appeared in an ad for Senate candidate Josh Turek in Iowa, and in May he visited a restaurant in Texas to show support for Senate candidate James Talarico and gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa. Additional campaign appearances are also planned.

Nearly a decade after leaving office, Obama's influence within the Democratic Party remains considerable. Axios recently called him "the most influential and popular Democrat in America."

A CNN poll conducted in June found that 96 percent of Democrats viewed Obama favorably — 25 percentage points higher than the 71 percent favorability rating recorded for former President Joe Biden.

As the Democratic Party continues to grapple with internal ideological divisions, it is looking to leverage Obama's broad appeal to rally its base. Republicans, meanwhile, are counting on Trump to personally tour competitive districts and drive conservative voter turnout.

As the battle for Senate control enters its final phase, Michigan is emerging as a critical proving ground — one that will test not only each party's organizational strength, but also the mobilizing power of both a former and a sitting president.