Obama Makes Endorsements In Two Big GA Congressional Races

Former President Barack Obama has endorsed several more Georgia Democrats in their high-profile election bids this fall. On Monday afternoon, Obama announced his endorsement of Lucy McBath in Georgia's 6th congressional seat, and Carolyn Bourdeaux in the 7th congressional district. Obama has already endorsed Stacey Abrams in her bid to become the nation's first African-American female governor in Georgia's Nov. 6 governor's election.

McBath is seeking to unseat U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, who won the nation's most expensive congressional election in history just last year over Democrat Jon Ossoff. Bourdeaux is taking on U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall in the 7th district, which includes portions of Gwinnett, Forsyth and Hall counties. Handel's 6th district includes portions of DeKalb and Fulton counties.

In his Twitter post, Obama also endorsed Donna McLeod, who is running in state House District 105 in Gwinnett County, along with former state Rep. Sally Harrell who is running in DeKalb's Senate District 40, and Zahra Karinshak, an Air Force veteran who is running for state Senate in Gwinnett and DeKalb's District 48.

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Control of Congress and the future of Donald Trump's presidency are on the line as the primary season closes this week, jump-starting a two-month sprint to Election Day that will test Democrats' ability to harness opposition to Trump and determine whether the Republican president can get his supporters to the polls.
For both parties, the stakes are exceedingly high.

After crushing defeats in 2016, Democrats open the fall campaign brimming with confidence about their prospects for retaking the House, which would give them power to open a wide swath of investigations into Trump or even launch impeachment proceedings. The outcome of the election, which features a record number of Democratic female and minority candidates, will also help shape the party's direction heading into the 2020 presidential race.

Republicans have spent the primary season anxiously watching suburban voters, particularly women, peel away because of their disdain for Trump. The shift seems likely to cost the party in several key congressional races. Still, party leaders are optimistic that Republicans can keep control of the Senate, which could help insulate Trump from a raft of Democratic investigations.

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 21: Former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally for Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on September 21, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Midterm election day is November 6th. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)