(Bloomberg) -- Vice President Kamala Harris will hit the campaign trail next week with Barack and Michelle Obama, two of the most popular figures in Democratic politics, in a bid to turn out voters in two crucial swing states with the election less than 20 days away.
Former President Obama will join the Democratic nominee on Oct. 24 in Georgia, while the former first lady will stump with Harris on Oct. 26 in Michigan, according to a senior campaign official who requested anonymity to discuss the upcoming events.
The two get-out-the-vote events will be the first time Harris is on the trail with either of the Obamas this campaign, according to the official. And it will be Michelle Obama’s first time in the battleground states for the campaign of Harris and running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Early voting has begun in Georgia but the event with the former first lady will be on the first day of statewide early voting in Michigan. Both states are among the critical battlegrounds that will determine the outcome of Harris’ race against Republican former President Donald Trump, with polls showing the two locked in a competitive contest.
A September Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll found Trump and Harris tied with 49% support each in Georgia among likely voters and with Harris up 50% to 47% in Michigan.
Both of the Obamas spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer, delivering sharp denunciations of Trump and casting Harris as the inheritors of their own political legacies.
The former president also campaigned for Harris recently in Pittsburgh, where he sought to help bolster her standing with Black male voters whom the Trump campaign has targeted and whose support for the Democratic ticket has softened over worries about the economy.
His remarks suggesting some Black men were “coming up with reasons and excuses” not to back Harris because of her gender, however, drew criticism. Harris is seeking to become the first Black woman president in US history, following Barack Obama as the first Black commander in chief.
While the Obamas stand to play a key role in helping turnout the Democratic base, Harris has also sought to expand her electoral appeal in recent days, including a campaign event in Pennsylvania with Republicans who crossed the aisle to back her candidacy and by touting the endorsement of former GOP Representative Liz Cheney.
On Wednesday, Harris also had her first formal sitdown interview with Fox News, taking her election pitch to a conservative-leaning network that is friendly turf for Trump and his allies.
The interview with chief political anchor Bret Baier was a combative affair, with Harris facing tough questions over the administration’s handling of the border crisis and other issues, and insisting her “presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s.”
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