Former president Barack Obama will host a fundraiser next month to benefit Democratic Senate candidatesaccording to details first shared with NBC News.
At the June 5 event in Potomac, Maryland, Obama and Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the state’s junior senator, will discuss “the importance of preserving the Democratic Senate majority and the electoral stakes,” said an aide to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Longtime Democratic donors Jeffrey and Laura Drezner are hosting the evening fundraiser, according to a copy of the invitation.
“Given the stakes of this election, President Obama will do everything in his power to support the re-election of President Biden,” Obama senior adviser Eric Schultz said in a statement from the former president’s office, which was released earlier this year to review his planned involvement in the 2024 campaigns. . “In fact, he looks forward to helping Democrats get the ballot to voters this fall. Our strategy will be based on driving influence, specifically when and where his voice can help move the needle.”
This year’s Senate races could increase partisan control of the chamber, where Democrats hold a one-seat majority thanks to three independents joining the party.
Democratic Senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio and John Tester of Montana are running for re-election in two states that former President Donald Trump won by wide margins. Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania are among the other states that host major races.
Van Hollen County Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin has set to retire competitive battle between Democratic Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and popular former two-term governor Republican Larry Hogan.
Nearly eight years after leaving the White House, Obama remains one of the Democratic Party’s top fundraisers. He and former President Bill Clinton joined President Joe Biden in March For an event that Biden said brought in more than $26 million for his re-election campaign.
Obama’s office said he plans to put his name on fundraising emails and write ads and robocalls for candidates in down-ballot races this year.