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Felicia Sonmez
National Journalist in the Washington Post Political Press Team
Former President Barack Obama announced Monday his second wave of 2018 appeals, unveiling a roster of candidates in 29 states including several prominent Senate and governor candidates, as well as notable absences, including the Texas Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke.
This decision comes a little more than a month before polling day and Democrats are optimistic about their chances of surfing on a blue wave to take the place of the House and possibly the Senate.
"Today, I am proud to support even more Democratic candidates who are not content with something, but something – expanding opportunities for all of us and restoring dignity, honoring and compassion for the public service, "said Obama in a speech made public. a tweet announcing the list.
Notable names on the list include more than a dozen governorship candidates who reflect the broader membership of Democrats in ethnic diversity, women and LGBT candidates at the mid-term this year . Among them are Andrew Gillum in Florida, Ben Jealous in Maryland, Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan, Michelle Lujan Grisham in New Mexico and Christine Hallquist in Vermont.
If elected, Gillum and Jealous would become the first black governors of their states. Hallquist is the first openly transgender person to win the governorship appointment to a large party.
Four candidates in the Senate were also selected: Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona, Bill Nelson in Florida, Tina Smith in Minnesota and Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin. Nelson, Smith and Baldwin are the incumbents, while Sinema is a member of the House.
Several candidates in the House of Insurgents have been congratulated by Obama. Among them was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old activist and democratic socialist who defeated ten-year-old Joseph Crowley (DN.Y.) in June, and Ayanna Pressley, who overthrew veteran representative Michael E. Capuano. (D -Masse.) Last month and is about to become the first black woman to represent her state in Congress.
Nancy Soderberg, a former Clinton National Security Assistant who also chaired the Obama Public Interest Decommissioning Committee, was also on the list. Soderberg is a candidate for the House of Representative Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), Who is a candidate for governor.
O'Rourke, a three-term congressman, aims to overthrow Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) In one of the country's most watched races. O & # 39; Rourke, a 45-year-old liberal, drew thousands of people to his events – a Saturday night rally featuring country music legend Willie Nelson attracted 55,000 people – which is sure to comparisons with the aura of the rock star who surrounded Obama on his campaign days.
Other known Democrats, such as New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), were also missing from the list.
As he did during his first round of downswing in August, Obama has also supported a host of candidates in the state legislature.
The Obama office has previously stated that the former president's priority was to support candidates supported by the National Democratic Dismemberment Committee, led by former US Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., in order to give the Democrats a greater voice in the process. to draw legislative district lines.
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