US midterms are a chance to ‘restore some sanity,’ Obama says on the campaign trail
Former president Barack Obama said that November midterm elections would give Americans “a chance to restore some sanity in our politics”, as he campaigned for Democrats to regain control of the House.
Mr Obama did not mention President Donald Trump by name during his speech on Saturday in Orange County, California but the allusions were clear.
“We’re in a challenging moment because when you look at the arc of American history, there’s always been a push and pull between those who want to go forward and those who want to look back, between those who want to divide and those seeking to bring people together, between those who promote the politics of hope and those who exploit the politics of fear,” he said.
Mr Obama’s appearance, a day after a strongly worded critique of President Trump at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, touched on retirement security, climate change and education.
“If we don’t step up, things can get worse,” he told the audience at the Anaheim Convention Centre. “We have the chance to flip the House of Representatives and make sure there are real checks and balances in Washington.”
Mr Obama spoke about seven Democratic candidates in competitive districts across California, which are considered crucial to the party’s chances of taking control. Four of those districts are at least partly in Orange County, a formerly reliable Republican bastion.
“We’re going to put on our marching shoes,” he said to cheers. “We’re going to start knocking on doors, we’re going to start making some calls.”
Mrs Clinton defeated President Trump by more than 4 million votes in California in 2016 and carried Orange County by 9 percentage points.
A surge in immigrants has transformed Californian voting patterns. The number of Hispanics, blacks and Asians combined has outnumbered whites in the state since 1998. New voters, largely Latinos and Asians, favour the Democrats.
In Orange County, Republicans held a 13-point edge in voter registration 10 years ago but that has shrunk to three points, while independents, who tend to vote for Democrats in California, have climbed to 25 per cent.
The Democrats, hoping to build on their 39 to 14 advantage in the state’s congressional delegation, are looking at Republican seats in districts that Ms Clinton won in 2016. The candidates for whom Mr Obama campaigned on Saturday fit that description.
In Orange County, Republican representative Mimi Walters faces a challenge from Katie Porter, a law professor at University of California at Irvine.
Environmental lawyer Mike Levin is seeking an open seat to replace retiring Republican Darrell Issa in a district that includes part of Orange County.
Republican Dana Rohrabacher, whose district also includes part of Orange County, is fending off a challenge from Democratic property investor Harley Rouda to secure a 16th term in Congress, despite winning only 30 per cent of the primary vote.
In the other Orange County race, Gil Cisneros, a Democratic philanthropist, is trying for an open seat created by retiring Republican Ed Royce.
Mr Obama also highlighted two races in the state’s Central Valley, praising venture capitalist Josh Harder in his bid to unseat Republican Jeff Denham, and T J Cox, who is challenging David Valadao in a district where Democrats hold a 17-point advantage in registration.
He promoted charity executive Katie Hill in her Los Angeles-area race to unseat Republican Steve Knight, who won an underwhelming 53 per cent of the vote in 2016.
Californian Republicans said Mr Obama’s appearance would have little impact and might even help their party.
“I wish he would come more often because he reminds Republicans of eight years of misery,” said Shawn Steel of the Republican National Committee, who lives in Orange County.