Michelle Obama To Hit Campaign Trail This Fall

By aaroncynic in News on Aug 17, 2010 8:30PM

Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

Earlier this month, the Sun Times reported that Illinois Democrats hoped to get the First Lady on the campaign trail. Now, they might get their wish. According to the Tribune, Michelle Obama will hit the campaign trail in the fall to help mid-term Democrats keep their seats. Mrs. Obama will keep her appearances and the political rhetoric light and is expected to keep a more positive sounding message. The Trib quotes an anonymous White House official saying “This won't be a red-meat partisan speech. That's not her nature, and it wouldn't necessarily be effective.”

This isn’t the first time a First Lady has campaigned on behalf of a presidential party. Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush all campaigned for various candidates during mid-term elections, typically because their approval ratings tend to be higher than that of a sitting President. Bill Clinton’s approval rating averaged around 55 percent while Hillary averaged 65 percent, Laura Bush spiked at 82 percent in 2006 when W was averaging about 40 percent and Michelle has about a six point lead on her husband’s approval rating.