--- title: President Barack Obama Is Campaigning for His Own Legacy description: President Obama is expected to make at least a dozen more appearances for Hillary Clinton before Election Day. canonical: https://time.com/4526075/hillary-clinton-barack-obama-campaigning/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-11T02:36:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:06.466Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Obama Is Now Campaigning For His Legacy og:description: It turns out he had another run in him after all. og:url: https://time.com/4526075/hillary-clinton-barack-obama-campaigning/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt63bb0d6f9e4dadac/6988a97f0a4a2270a59cb967/gettyimages-604320248.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5760 og:image:height: 3240 og:image:alt: President Obama Campaigns For Hillary Clinton In Philadelphia og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Obama Is Now Campaigning For His Legacy twitter:description: It turns out he had another run in him after all. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt63bb0d6f9e4dadac/6988a97f0a4a2270a59cb967/gettyimages-604320248.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Obama Is Now Campaigning for His Legacy > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: President Barack Obama endorses Hillary Clinton for President [Watch (HLS stream): President Barack Obama endorses Hillary Clinton for President](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/RQB9hrQN.m3u8) (3:15)  _Published 2016-06-09_ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Oct 11, 2016 2:36 AM UTC  Barack Obama campaigns for Hillary Clinton outside the art museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 13, 2016. Barack Obama campaigns for Hillary Clinton outside the art museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 13, 2016. Jessica Kourkounis—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Oct 11, 2016 2:36 AM UTC When he was running for re-election in 2012, President Obama [famously said](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/07/10/obama%5Fthis%5Fwill%5Fbe%5Fmy%5Flast%5Fpolitical%5Fcampaign%5Fno%5Fmatter%5Fwhat.html) it would be his “last political campaign no matter what,” adding, “I’ve got nothing else to run for.” As it turns out, he does have something else to campaign for: his legacy. With high approval ratings and a close ally running for President, Obama has hit the campaign trail this year twice for Hillary Clinton since the Democratic National Convention, and he’s expected to make at least a dozen more appearances for her before Election Day. Along the way, the President is participating in fundraisers and urging support for down-ballot candidates, using his high popularity to benefit Democrats across the board. After doing a round of fundraisers for Democratic candidates in Chicago last weekend, Obama will be out on the trail again on Tuesday speaking at a campaign event in support of Clinton and Senate candidates in North Carolina. Obama considers this election extremely high stakes — not just because the next President will in many ways solidify his legacy on a number of issues, but because he believes electing Republican nominee Donald Trump would hurt the country. “I know that it’s a cliché to say that every four years, that ‘this is the most important election in your lifetimes,’” Obama said Sunday at an event for Democratic Senate candidate Tammy Duckworth. “This is the most important election, though.” In speeches both touting his own policy and championing Clinton, Obama likes to list off his Administration’s accomplishments — shepherding a recovery from one of the nation’s worst economic downturns and the rebound of the auto industry, getting gay marriage across the country, the assassination of Osama bin Laden and the completion of the Iran nuclear deal. At a rally for Clinton in Philadelphia last month, Obama said his Administration has shown that “progress is possible,” but Trump’s campaign had reminded him how quickly that could be reversed. “The choice that you make — that we make,” Obama said in Philadelphia in September, “will determine the direction of this country for a long time.” Despite their bitter 2008 primary election battle, Clinton and Obama respect each other both as colleagues and peers. The President is also sure that Clinton would be prepared to take over for him as soon as his term is up — in fact, he’s called her the most qualified person ever to run for President. He really wants her to win. “Like, I — this is not me going through the motions here — I really, really, really want to elect Hillary Clinton,” he said in September. But he appears to be equally motivated by Trump’s campaign. He’s called the Republican nominee unprepared and insecure and said Trump is a poor role model for American kids. He has suggested Trump is a shill for Russian President Vladimir Putin who poses a threat to our national security. “He’s not offering any real policies or plans, just offering division and offering fear,” Obama has said. “And he’s betting that if he scares enough people, he might just scare up enough votes to win this election.” This level of involvement is unusual in recent history. Though President Bill Clinton had relatively high approval ratings ahead of the 2000 election, the scandals that marked his time in the White House led Vice President Al Gore to distance himself. President George W. Bush was deeply unpopular in 2008, and though he was an effective fundraiser, Senator John McCain felt it was better to keep him off the trail. This time around, however, the candidates themselves are far less popular than the President — whose approval ratings have hovered around 50% throughout the year. “\[President Obama\] is actively campaigning because his approval rating is high and only seems to be made higher because of the negativity of this campaign cycle,” says Georgetown government professor Michele Swers. “The President knows firsthand how important it is not to take a single vote for granted, and his call to the American people to get engaged and vote is consistent with the message he has been delivering to the American people since his speech in Springfield and the Democratic convention,” said White House spokeswoman Jennifer Friedman. “This is exactly the message he will be conveying for the weeks ahead to African Americans, young people and people of all ages who need an extra boost to remember what is at stake.” That high approval rating makes it easier, too, for the President to shore up support all the way down the ticket. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have endorsed 25 candidates including congressional candidates, Democratic mayors and even a handful of state legislators. While Obama is giving the campaign trail all he’s got, with more appearances expected in battleground states in the lead-up to the election — an event scheduled in Florida was canceled last week because of Hurricane Matthew — Swers says the success of Clinton’s campaign still rests with the candidate. “The main onus for winning the campaign is still Hillary’s,” she says. “I don’t think Obama would get a lot of the credit if she wins or loses.” ## Transcript For more a year now, across thousands of miles, and all 50 states, tens of millions of Americans have made their voices heard. Today, I just want to add mine. I want to congratulate Hillary Clinton on making history as the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States. Look, I know how hard this job can be. That's why I know Hillary will be so good at it. In fact, I don't think there's ever been someone so qualified to hold this office. She's got the courage, the compassion, and the heart to get the job done. And I say that as somebody who had to debate her more than 20 times. Even after our own hard- fought campaign, in a testament to her character, she agreed to serve our country as Secretary of State. And from the decision we made in the situation room to get Bin Laden, to our pursuit of diplomacy in capitals around the world, I have seen her judgment I've seen her toughness. I've seen her commitment to our values, up close. I've seen her determination to give every American a fair shot at opportunity, no matter how tough the fight was. That's what has always driven her. And it still does. So I want those of you who've been with me from the beginning of this incredible journey, to be the first to know, And I am with her. I am fired up and i cannot wait to get out there and campaign for Hillary. i also want to thank everybody who turned out to vote and who worked so hard for our candidates. This has been a hard fought race. i know some say these primaries have somehow left the Democratic Party more divided. Well, they said that eight years ago, as well. But like eight years ago, there are millions of Americans, not just Democrats, who've cast their ballots for the very first time. And a lot of that is thanks to senator Bernie Sanders who has run an incredible campaign. I had a great meeting with him this week, and I thanked him for shining a spotlight on issues like economic inequality. For shining a spotlight on issues like economic inequality and the outsized influence of money in our politics and bringing young people into the process. Embracing that message is going to help us win in November, but more importantly, it'll make the Democratic Party stronger, and it will make America stronger. Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders may have been rivals during this primary, but they're both patriots who loved this country and they share a vision for the America that we all believe in. An America that's hopeful. An America that's big- heated. An America that is strong and fair, and gives every child the same chance That we had. Those are the values that unite us as democrats. Those are the values that make America great. Those are the values that are gonna be tested in this election. And if we all come together in common effort, I'm convinced we won't just win in November, We'll build on the progress that we've made and we will win a brighter future for this country that we love. 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