Will Nostalgia For The Obama Era Help — Or Hurt — Kamala Harris?

Earlier this week, a Detroit rally for Kamala Harris’ Presidential campaign opened up with two household names: Eminem and Barack Obama. When the Detroit-native and rapper took the stage to introduce President Obama, the convention center erupted. Obama leaned into the personality America fell in love with when he rapped a few lyrics from Eminem’s hit song Lose Yourself. “I don’t usually get nervous. But I was feeling some kind of way following Eminem. Now, I noticed my palms are sweaty,” he began, “knees weak, arms are heavy.” The crowd laughed and began to continue the lyrics along with the 44th President. Obama’s visit came less than a week before Michelle Obama is expected to hit the campaign trail — for the first time this election cycle. Mrs. Obama will be making her first stop in Kalamazoo, a two hour drive from Detroit that shows a lot of effort is being put into Michigan. 

Detroit is the largest city in one of the key battleground states of this election and is home to millions of Black and Arab people, with one of the largest Palestinian-American communities in the country. In 2016, Michigan went red for the first time in decades thanks to Trump’s hold on rural and predominantly white parts of the country. Four years later, Biden flipped Michigan through an incredibly slim majority. That victory was largely dependent on young people and Black voters in the Detroit metropolitan area. Clearly, former President Obama visited Detroit in hopes of fortifying the “Blue Wall.” As a Western Michigan University professor said back in 2020, “it would be a mistake for the Democrats to count on (these states) in 2024. It's still razor-thin, within two or three points.” Yet, here we are in 2024 and Democrats need states like Michigan to turn out in their favor so they're bringing out what seems to be the heavy artillery of campaign surrogacy: the Obamas.

Barack and Michelle Obama make up one of the most beloved President-First Lady pairs in history so it’s no surprise that they are key surrogates for the Harris-Walz campaign. But just how impactful can they be in shoring up voters and states that are currently on the fence? The Obamas are most popular with Black voters, millennials, and moderates. Though Black voters are not monolithic, there is a fondness associated with how we came together as a community in 2008 and made history electing the first Black president. Millennials remember Obama’s effortless swagger — something we haven’t replicated or found since. And moderates are nostalgic for a “simpler” and more “civil” point in our nation’s political history.

Nostalgia is what the Obamas have cracked and mastered like no other. When we see Barack or Michelle Obama taking a stage with confidence, grace, and humor, we are pulled back to a time before 2016 and that escapism is certainly intoxicating. It’s been nearly a decade since Donald Trump first ran for office and nothing has felt quite the same since. The mass protests, vile sound bites, revolving door to his administration, and constant threats of violence and war have been exhausting. Are voters exhausted enough to jump at the first candidate who reminds us of Obama, our Forever President?

For some that answer is an unequivocal yes. Both Barack Obama and Joe Biden won Michigan, which Clinton wasn’t able to do. Harris seems to be struggling as well so it’s no wonder she’s hoping her predecessors will inspire more enthusiasm. But today's undecided Michigan voters aren’t the ones Biden and Obama are most popular with. The people that Obama can sway in a big way — older Black people and moderates — have been pushing for Harris since Biden first stepped down. Harris has hundreds of bipartisan endorsements including from hundreds of moderate Republicans, and Black organizers turned out en masse to fundraise and get out the vote. If the goal is to keep this group energized then Obama is the perfect man for the job. But in counties where Harris needs to pick up new voters, the Obamas may actually do more harm than good. 

There was a time when the right celebrity endorsements were all a candidate for President wanted. With time, voters have become more skeptical of what famous people say about politics and celebrity worship has given way to critiques. People are not as easily swayed by surrogates and flashy rally appearances. The Younger Black people, Arab or Muslim voters, and other groups that will be difference makers in cities like Detroit have been calling for more substance and policy. The people whose minds need to be changed are those too young to have seen Obama's presidency through rose-colored glasses, or those seeking someone and something more progressive. Over the last few years, Obama has assumed a paternalistic role that isn’t always welcome by people demanding more. He has chided Black protestors and diffused union efforts at the behest of Republican leaders, on top of problematic aspects of his administration like high deportation rates and drone strikes across West Asia. For those groups not yet convinced that Harris has a plan they believe in, the Obamas may be a reminder of the status quo but they are no longer the glimpse into a bolder future that can carry elections. 

Running for office is not the same as it was in 2008 and 2012. Social media, misinformation, and growing political frustrations with the political establishment has made the job of resonating with voters infinitely harder. A chorus of voices like Jeezy, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Oprah Winfrey used their platforms to create a tidal wave of energy that is difficult to replicate. This challenge is heightened in the face of a nation saddled by inflation, debt, and violence both home and abroad. An Eminem and Barack Obama crossover won’t be enough for everyone. 

Harry Belafonte had a saying about preaching to the choir. There’s a time and place for everything, he advised. If you never preach to the choir, what keeps them singing? In this spirit, Barack and Michelle Obama are perfect cheerleaders and mascots for Kamala Harris. They won’t be difference makers in battleground states but, for a majority of the electorate nostalgic for simpler times, the Obamas are just what the doctor ordered. With only two weeks left before the election, though, we’ll need people to take the stage and convince those not already in the choir that there’s a reason to show up in the first place.