First Lady Michelle Obama won't be discussing the Let's Move! campaign when she's out on the campaign trail in the coming weeks, according to the East Wing. Instead, Mrs. Obama will focus on the administration's overall achievements, and supporting the candidates she’s visiting. Those efforts begin today, when Mrs. Obama gives a "Vote 2010 Update" on the Organizing for America website. By Nov. 2, Mrs. Obama will have made campaign stops in at least seven states, with more events likely to be added."She's campaigning to advocate, to rally voters behind specific candidates based on what we can do together to build a better future," said Stephanie Cutter, a White House aide, during a conference call with reporters about Mrs. Obama's upcoming schedule. "She comes to this as a mom, and that's the lens through which she sees the world, and that's her test for every issue - what it means for her daughters and all of our kids."
Beginning on October 13, Mrs. Obama will put the rubber to the road to raise funds for Congressional Dems in tight races, visiting New York, , Illinois, Wisconsin, California, Colorado, and the other Washington.
"Barack can't keep making progress without strong allies in Congress," Mrs. Obama wrote in a fund raising email sent out by Organizing For America earlier this week. "And now the same people who've opposed us at every turn are targeting the folks who voted to make change real."
The First Lady will make appearances at events for Sen. Russ Feingold (WI), and she'll try to help Dems maintain her husband's former Senate seat by headlining a fundraiser for Alexi Giannoulias and a slate of other Illinois candidates. She will stump for Sens. Michael Bennet (Colo.), Patty Murray (Wash.) and Barbara Boxer (Calif.), who are all locked in dead-heat races. The First Lady will headline a fundraiser for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in San Francisco. The President has appeared at fundraisers for each of these candidates--except for Feingold, who declined to appear with him on Labor Day in Wisconsin. The breakdown:
Oct. 13, Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado: The First Lady will travel to Wisconsin for Sen. Russ Feingold, and make a stop in Illinois for Sen. candidate Alexi Giannoulias and Rep. Debbie Halvorson. Mrs. Obama will then travel to Denver for Sen. Michael Bennet’s fundraising event.
UPDATE, OCT. 7: White House announces new joint campaign event for POTUS, FLOTUS:
Sunday, Oct. 17, Ohio: The President and First Lady will do a fundraiser for Gov. Ted Strickland (D-OH) in Cleveland and then a DNC Rally in Columbus.
Oct. 18, New York: Mrs. Obama will attend a dinner for the Democratic National Committee Women’s Leadership Forum in New York City.
October 25, Washington and Northern California: Mrs. Obama will travel to Seattle, WA for Sen. Patty Murray, and to San Francisco, CA to attend an event for Speaker Pelosi.
October 26, Southern California: Mrs. Obama will attend the DNC’s Women’s leadership Forum in Los Angeles. The First Lady will also give the keynote address at Maria Shriver's The Women's Conference in Long Beach, CA.
October 27, Los Angeles: Mrs. Obama will attend a fundraiser for Sen. Barbara Boxer.
White House aides said that Mrs. Obama could raise as much as $20 million for the party. In her e mail, Mrs. Obama called the efforts in election 2008 "inspiring," and asked supporters to get back to work.
"If the folks who I saw in 2008 -- those of you who packed up your bags and slept on floors and made calls and talked to voters day after day -- are ready to stand with us again, then I'm ready for any challenge that lies ahead," Mrs. Obama wrote.
Mrs. Obama also asked for donations that will be matched by fellow Dem supporters.
"You can choose to write a note to the individual who matched your donation and tell them why you decided to own a piece of this movement," Mrs. Obama wrote.
