Obama turns focus to U.S. Congress as he
campaigns for Clinton
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[October 24, 2016]
By Roberta Rampton
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - President Barack
Obama on Sunday campaigned in the battleground state of Nevada for
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate he wants to succeed him in the
White House - but he spent most of his time talking about the state's
Senate race.
Democrats badly want to get back control of the Republican-controlled
Senate in the Nov. 8 election, and are sending Obama, Michelle Obama and
Joe Biden to states where close races could tip the balance.
In Nevada, Obama reserved most of his firepower for mocking three-term
Republican U.S. Representative Joe Heck, who had supported his party's
presidential candidate until earlier this month when Donald Trump's
campaign went into crisis mode by the release of a video in which he
lewdly bragged about groping and kissing women.
"I understand Joe Heck now wishes he never said those things about
Donald Trump, but they're on tape, they're on the record," Obama said,
using Heck's earlier praise of Trump against him.
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It's not just the Senate. Obama wants to capitalize on his high approval
rating to help elect more Democrats to the House of Representatives, and
has also endorsed about 150 candidates in state legislative races.
At an intimate fundraising dinner in La Jolla, California, on Sunday
evening, where tickets started at $10,000, Obama urged about 60 guests
to help elect Democratic congressional candidate Doug Applegate, a
former Marine colonel who is challenging Republican incumbent Darrell
Issa.
"As far as I can tell, (Darrell) Issa's primary contribution to the
United States Congress has been to obstruct and to waste taxpayer
dollars on trumped-up investigations that have led nowhere," Obama said.
Issa, the former head of the House Oversight Committee, led a series of
headline-grabbing investigations into Obama's administration - but has
featured a photo of Obama signing legislation on a campaign brochure.
"Now that is the definition of chutzpah!" Obama said.
Last week, Obama excoriated Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida -
who has a narrow lead over Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy, a
congressman - for failing to repudiate Trump.
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![](../images/102416pics/news_b3.jpg)
President Barack Obama
reacts as he is almost pulled off the catwalk by a supporter as he
arrives to speak at a rally for Hillary Clinton in Las Vegas, Nevada
October 23, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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In the final two weeks leading up to Nov. 8, Clinton said she
planned to work hard to support congressional and state races.
"We're going to be emphasizing the importance of electing Democrats
down the ballot," Clinton told reporters traveling with her on
Saturday.
In Las Vegas, Obama was introduced by the Democratic Senate
candidate Catherine Cortez Masto, a two-term Nevada attorney
general, who would be the first Latina elected to the U.S Senate if
she wins.
"We can't elect Hillary and then saddle her with a Congress that is
do-nothing, won't even try to do something," Obama said.
The Nevada Senate seat is the only Senate race this year that
Republicans could flip to their control. The seat has long been held
by Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, who is retiring.
Cortez Masto currently has a slim 2.3 percentage point lead in an
average of polls tracked by RealClearPolitics over Heck.
Obama won Nevada in 2008 and 2012. Polls show Clinton with a 4.2
percentage point lead at 45.4 percent support to Trump's 41.3
percent, according to the RealClearPolitics average.
(Additional reporting by Amanda Becker; Editing by Sandra Maler and
Chrsitian Schmollinger)
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