Campaign

Obama speaks in Virginia: live coverage

by Lisa Hagen - 10/19/17 6:59 PM ET

Former President Barack Obama is returning to the campaign trail on Thursday, one of his first campaign appearances since leaving the White House.

Obama will be stumping in Richmond for Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, the Democratic nominee running against Republican Ed Gillespie in the Virginia governor’s race on Nov. 7. The former president is seeking to mobilize black voters in a must-win race for Democrats.

The Hill will be updating with live coverage from Obama’s speech, which is expected to start at 8 p.m. ET.

Obama wraps up speech with call to vote

Update 8:06 p.m.

Obama finished his speech with a call for Virginians to get out and vote for Northam and lieutenant governor nominee Justin Fairfax.

Obama on Charlottesville: ‘most painful parts of history’ as ‘political points’

Update 8:05 p.m.

Obama brought up the fatal violence around the August white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, urging people to talk about history “in a way that heals.”

He said that “the most painful parts of history” shouldn’t be used as a way “to score political points.” Gillespie has said he supports protecting Confederate monuments.

But Obama also addressed Charlottesville as a way to illustrate how people came together after to “reject fear and reflect hate.”

“We saw what happened in Charlottesville, but we also saw what happened after Charlottesville,” Obama said to loud applause.

“Ralph Northam wants progress. He wants to take us forward.”

Obama jabs Gillespie

Update 8:02 p.m.

Obama took some shots at Gillespie, without naming him, by condemning the Virginia Republican for using rhetoric to “scare enough voters” to try and win the governor’s race, an apparent reference to Gillespie’s MS-13 ad.

“What he really believes is if you scare enough voters, you might score enough points to win an election,” Obama said.

“If you have to win a campaign by dividing people, you’re not going to be able to govern,” he said.

Obama’s comments were an apparent reference to Gillespie’s recent turn toward attacks that have been criticized as racially divisive or anti-immigrant. His campaign has focused on issues like immigration and using violence from the MS-13 gang in ads against his opponent in an appeal to his base.

Obama decries ‘nasty’ politics

Update 7:55 p.m.

Obama railed against divisive politics and called on voters to elect Northam, who he said has “honesty” and “integrity.”

The former Democratic president said that “our politics just seems so divided and so angry and so nasty.” He questioned “whether we can recapture that spirit, whether we can support and embrace someone who wants to bring people together.”

When someone in the crowd shouted his old campaign slogan “Yes we can!” Obama paused and said, “We can do that.”

“We’re at our best not when we’re putting people down but lifting people up,” he said.

Obama did not mention President Trump by name, but took several jabs at the current state of government.

Obama starts speaking, praises Northam

Update 7:35 p.m.

Obama has kicked off his speech with praise for Northam and his biography, including his previous work as a pediatric neurologist.

“It’s hard to pronounce, much less do,” Obama said.

Obama also praised Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Justin Fairfax.

“You’ve got really good candidates,” Obama said. “You’ve got people who will make you proud.”

Northam jabs GOP rival Gillespie

Update 7:25 p.m.

Northam took a shot at his GOP opponent Ed Gillespie by likening him to President Trump and pointing out his previous work as a Washington lobbyist.

“My opponent Ed Gillespie is cut from the same mold that Donald Trump is,” Northam said. “He’s nothing more than a Washington lobbyist who has now become Donald Trump’s chief lobbyist.”

Gillespie has sought to keep some distance from the president, who has underwater approval numbers in Virginia. Trump hasn’t campaigned in the Commonwealth yet, but he sent a tweet supporting Gillespie and accusing Northam of “fighting for” the MS-13 gang.

Northam also ticked through the accomplishments of the past four years and thanked outgoing Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) for his leadership.

McAuliffe urges crowd to elect another Dem for governor

Update 7:14 p.m.

Outgoing Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) touted his gubernatorial tenure in a speech, as he urged voters to now put his lieutenant governor in charge.

McAuliffe, who noted that Obama came in four years ago to campaign for him, highlighted that 215,000 new jobs were created over the past four years.

“We made promises to all of you and I’m proud to stand here … to tell you we honored those commitments that we worked on as a team,” McAuliffe said.

“That’s what you get when you elect Democrats to office.”

Obama in Virginia at crucial point for Dems

Update 7:10 p.m.

Both gubernatorial candidates have kicked into high gear in the final weeks of the race, as the campaign becomes one of the most closely watched races of the year.

In addition to Obama’s visit, Northam campaigned with former Vice President Joe Biden last weekend. That coincided with Gillespie’s visit from Vice President Pence.

Trump tweeted support for Gillespie and accused Northam of “fighting for” the MS-13 gang. It’s not clear if Trump will come down to Virginia to campaign alongside Gillespie.

Recent polls are showing Northam with a comfortable lead, many political observers in the state noted the unreliable polling from the 2013 governor’s race that had now-Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) comfortably leading, then winning by less than 3 points.

Packed house for Obama

Update 7:01 p.m.

Hours before the rally started, lines wrapped around the Richmond Convention Center to attend the speech.

The room was completely packed, with attendees holding Northam campaign signs and sporting posters of the Obama family and shirts of the former president. Roughly 6,250 people are attending the speech, according to a state Democratic official.

There was also a spill-over section behind the press tables.

Obama campaigns in two states

Update 7 p.m.

The statewide Virginia race is seen as a way to take the temperature on the electorate a year before the critical 2018 midterm elections, where Democrats are hoping to take back the House.

Earlier in the day, Obama traveled to New Jersey to campaign with Democrat Phil Murphy, who will also be running in a gubernatorial race held the same day as Virginia’s.

The rallies come three days after President Trump incorrectly claimed that Obama hadn’t called Gold Star families while he was in office, a controversy Obama could address in his remarks.

Tags Barack Obama Donald Trump Joe Biden