The country’s first Black president said the journey of his mother-in-law, who recently died, and his family “was enabled by values that the Democratic Party has been fighting for, for a very long time.”
Obama called the chamber a “bulwark” where Democrats could protect the gains they’ve made, and said the ability for Democrats to appoint judges has “never been more critical than it is today.”
“It allows us to hold our ground, to steady the country, serve as ballast when necessary,” he said of the Senate.
Obama acknowledged it would take a lot of work and organization to hold on to the Senate, which Democrats narrowly control with 51 seats.
Democrats face an uphill battle to hold onto their narrow majority this fall, as they must defend several seats in challenging red and purple states, including those held by Sens. Jon Tester in Montana and Sherrod Brown in Ohio. The seat held by retiring Sen Joe Manchin III in West Virginia is all but guaranteed to flip to Republican control, meaning Democrats must run the table on all their other races — and keep the White House — to maintain control in the Senate. It’s a challenging map that has Democrats on the defensive.
“The good news is, our candidates, as usual, are better,” Obama said. “The incumbents that we’re going to be protecting are some of my favorite people. … They’re good people.”
The fundraiser was also attended by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and the daughter of Maryland Democratic Senate candidate Angela D. Alsobrooks.
“She’s got an outstanding track record, she’s going to be terrific,” Obama said of Alsobrooks, who will face Republican former Maryland governor Larry Hogan in the fall.
correction
An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the mother of Angela D. Alsobrooks attended the fundraiser. It was her daughter.
