Barack Obama to campaign with Ohio Democrats as he expands his outreach ahead of Election Day

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former President Barack Obama is heading to Ohio to shore up support for Democratic candidates in the Senate and governor’s races, both of which have been highly competitive and brought a flood of campaign cash into the state.

Obama is set to campaign in Cleveland on Oct. 24 with three-term former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is looking to oust Republican Sen. Jon Husted from the seat formerly held by Vice President JD Vance.

He’s also set to appear with Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor, who has been focusing her campaign on parts of the state that have been voting Republican in recent elections. She and tech billionaire and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy are vying to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.

A former swing state, Ohio has emerged as a battleground for control of the Senate, with Vance and President Donald Trump visiting recently. As Trump stumped for Husted on Monday, much of his focus was on one of his signature issues: immigration.

The trip is part of Obama’s expanded outreach into some of the midterm races deemed most consequential — and possibly some of the closest — in his party’s quest to return to power in Congress. On the same day, Obama will campaign with Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit, lending his support to the progressive nominee after a bruising Democratic primary exposed divisions within the party.

That event also will feature other top Democratic candidates in Michigan, including Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the party’s nominee for governor.

According to plans shared first with The Associated Press, the former president is getting significantly more involved in the midterm elections, with additional campaign stops and advertisements expected to come in the closing weeks.

Ousted two years ago by Republican Bernie Moreno in a bitter reelection battle, Brown remains one of Ohio’s winningest politicians, prompting Democrats to recruit him back into politics to try again. In a new video, Obama reminds voters of how Brown “worked with me to protect Ohio jobs.”

“This race is going to be close. It could determine which party controls the Senate and whether Ohioans can count on the people in Washington to be fighting for you,” Obama says in the video. “Please join me in supporting Sherrod Brown. He’ll always fight for Ohio.”

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Kinnard reported from Columbia, S.C., and can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP