Former first lady Michelle Obama will jump into the midterm fray–but in a strictly nonpartisan way that worries Democrats but satisfies her dislike of partisan politics, according to a Wednesday Politico report.
The voter registration initiative, “When We All Vote,” is set to launch Thursday, and will see Obama alongside stars like Tom Hanks and Lin-Manuel Miranda featured in PSAs to encourage participation.
As elections near, there will reportedly be rallies and trainings, following by weeks of concentrated efforts to get people registered.
Her endeavor is worrying some candidates and operatives that she’ll run the nonpartisan organization in lieu of actively campaigning for candidates in a crucially important midterm election.
This causes particular dread since Obama is widely seen as one of the most effective and charismatic campaign trail surrogates, possessing all of her husband’s fame and likability without his political baggage.
Per Politico, Michelle Obama’s staff has been vacillating on whether she’ll also do campaign trail appearances.
However, she has another motive, less tied to personal preference, informing why she may opt to stay apolitical: her memoir “Becoming” is due out shortly after election day, with an accompanying book tour that her staff would reportedly prefer to be untainted by politics.
