Obama is back on the fundraising circuit trying to help Democrats rebound for upcoming elections
Former President Barack Obama has returned to the fundraising circuit, attending an event in Red Bank, New Jersey, on Friday night.
Obama was set to join the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, at the high-dollar fundraiser, Axios reported ahead of the event.
It was the two-term president’s first fundraiser since the Democrats lost the White House last year. It also comes after several public problems for the DNC leadership.
The fundraiser was hosted in the Garden State by outgoing Governor Phil Murphy and his wife, Tammy Murphy, an invitation obtained by Axios stated. It comes before the state’s gubernatorial and state legislative elections in November.
Some of the funds raised are expected to be spent in New Jersey this fall. The Murphys raised more than $1.5 million at the event, according to the New Jersey Globe.
The elections are viewed as an opportunity for the parties to size each other up ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill took part in the event at the Murphy home in Middletown.
The event was sold out, and the money will go to the DNC as it works to get ready for elections later this year and in 2026. Last cycle, Obama raised $85 million for the Democrats, according to his office.
Murphy’s path in national politics began as the DNC finance chairman. During his remarks at the dinner, he spoke about the need for a strong party infrastructure and his wish for the national party to invest in his state to hold on to the governorship and state assembly control, according to the Globe.
Murphy took Obama through the “lay of the land” in the Garden State, saying that Sherrill is a strong candidate who won the six-candidate primary fight, the outlet noted.
Murphy served as the ambassador to Germany during the Obama administration.
The DNC has been plagued by infighting during Martin’s short tenure. Last month, a dozen DNC members shared their frustrations with Politico, noting their concerns with Martin’s ability to unify and lead the party as it attempts to recover from its 2024 losses.
One anonymous member told the outlet that Martin has been “weak and whiny,” and another argued that he’s been “invisible” and his “early tenure has been disappointing.”
Martin told Politico in a statement at the time that “I ran and won the race for DNC chair to get the DNC out of DC — because too many people in DC want to point fingers, and play the blame game.”
