Page 8 The Skanner August 15, 2018 News By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire ormer President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were recent- ly caught on video danc- ing at a Beyoncé and Jay-Z concert in Landover, Md. Now, the Obama’s are back to business, an- nouncing that they’ve endorsed dozens of can- didates in advance of No- vember’s all-important mid-term elections. This large, diverse con- tingent comprises 81 can- didates from across the country in federal, state and down-ballot races. “I’m proud to endorse F such a wide and impres- sive array of Democrat- ic candidates—leaders as diverse, patriotic, and big-hearted as the America they’re running to represent,” Obama said in a statement. “I’m confident that, togeth- er, they’ll strengthen this country we love by restoring opportunity that’s broadly shared, re- pairing our alliances and standing in the world, and upholding our fun- damental commitment to justice, fairness, respon- sibility, and the rule of law.” Obama continued: “But first, they need our votes—and I’m eager to make the case for why Democratic candidates deserve our votes this fall.” Obama said he and his wife  believe the coun- try’s long-term challeng- es can be addressed best when all Americans take a more active role in de- mocracy. That’s why he is dedicating his post-Pres- idency efforts to identi- fying and elevating the next generation of lead- ers, he said. In issuing this first round of endorsements, Obama said he also hopes to help current and as- piring Democratic lead- ers establish themselves, build their profiles, and lead their communities. This fall, Obama prom- ises to prioritize sup- porting redistricting targets recommended by the National Democratic Redistricting Commit- tee (NDRC), taking back control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and growing the U.S. Senate Democratic Caucus. The round of endorse- ments also includes several promising Obama  Administration and campaign alumni who heeded the former president’s call in his farewell speech to “grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself,” Obama PETE SOUZA/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Obama Announces Major Midterm Endorsements Former President Barack Obama has issued a wave of endorsements ahead of the midterm elections. In this photo, President Barack Obama delivers the 2011 State of the Union Address while standing in front of President of the Senate Joe Biden and Speaker of the House John Boehner. said. Both Barack Obama and Michelle Obama said they expect to campaign in several states this fall and to issue a second round of endorsements in ad- vance of November 6. Here’s a list of endorse- ments issued by the Obamas:  California Gavin Newsom (Gov.) Eleni Kounalakis (Lt. Gov.) Josh Harder (U.S. House, CA-10) TJ Cox (U.S. House, CA- 21) Katie Hill (U.S. House, CA-25) Katie Porter (U.S. House, CA-45) Harley Rouda (U.S. House, CA-48) Mike Levin (U.S. House, CA-49) Ammar Campa-Najjar (U.S. House, CA-50) Buffy Wicks (State Assembly, Dist. 15) Colorado Jared Polis (Gov.) Dianne Primavera (Lt. Gov.) Phil Weiser (Attorney General) Jena Griswold (Secretary of State) Tammy Story (State Senate, Dist. 16) Jessie Danielson (State Senate, Dist. 20) Brittany Pettersen (State Senate, Dist. 22) Faith Winter (State Senate, Dist. 24) Dylan Roberts (State House, Dist. 26) Dafna Michaelson Jenet (State House, Dist. 30) Shannon Bird (State House, Dist. 35) Rochelle Galindo (State House, Dist. 50) Julie McCluskie (State House, Dist. 61) Georgia Stacey Abrams (Gov.) Sarah Riggs Amico (Lt. Gov.) Matthew Wilson (State House, Dist. 80) Shelly Hutchinson (State House, Dist. 107) Illinois J.B. Pritzker (Gov.) Juliana Stratton (Lt. Gov.) Kwame Raoul (Attorney General) Sean Casten (U.S. House, IL-6) Brendan Kelly (U.S. House, IL-12) Lauren Underwood (U.S. House, IL-14) Iowa Deidre DeJear (Secretary of State) Tim Gannon (Secretary of Agriculture) Kristin Sunde (State House, Dist. 42) Jennifer Konfrst (State House, Dist. 43) Eric Gjerde (State House, Dist. 67) Laura Liegois (State House, Dist. 91) Maine Louis Luchini (State Senate, Dist. 7) Laura Fortman (State Senate, Dist. 13) Linda Sanborn (State Senate, Dist. 30) Nevada Jacky Rosen (U.S. Senate) Susie Lee (U.S. House, NV-3) Steven Horsford (U.S. House, NV-4) New Jersey Andy Kim (U.S. House, NJ-3) Tom Malinowski (U.S. House, NJ-7) New Mexico Debra Haaland (U.S. House, NM-1) Daymon Ely (State House, Dist. 23) Natalie Figueroa (State House, Dist. 30) New York Antonio Delgado (U.S. House, NY-19) Anna Kaplan (State Senate, Dist. 7) North Carolina Wiley Nickel (State Senate, Dist. 16) Ron Wesson (State House, Dist. 1) Terence Everitt (State House, Dist. 35) Read more at TheSkanner.com