Obama's Endorsements in 2018 Include Abby Finkenauer, Gretchen Whitmer, and More

In his second major wave of endorsements for the midterm election cycle, ex-president Barack Obama released Monday a list of 2018 candidates who have his blessing. The list includes candidates Abby Finkenauer and Gretchen Whitmer, two high-profile female candidates running in 2018 in an effort to seek change.

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In his second major wave of endorsements for the midterm election cycle, ex-president Barack Obama released Monday a list of 2018 candidates who have his blessing. The list includes candidates Abby Finkenauer and Gretchen Whitmer, two high-profile female candidates running in 2018 in an effort to seek change. "I'm so honored!" Whitmer, who is running for governor in Michigan, wrote on Twitter.

Wrote Obama on Twitter: "Today, I’m proud to endorse even more Democratic candidates who aren’t just running against something, but for something—to expand opportunity for all of us and to restore dignity, honor, and compassion to public service. They deserve your vote." This list brings the total number of 2018 candidates endorsed by Obama to more than 300.

For Whitmer, who is running against Republican attorney general Bill Schuette for the governorship, the moment is a game-changer. "Gretchen is proud to be endorsed by Barack Obama," read a meme posted by the gubernatorial candidate's Twitter account. (On Tuesday, one day after the endorsement, Whitmer was among a crowd of protesters who were hit by a truck, but Whitmer was not injured. She said in a statement that she was "incredibly sad" about the incident, which left several others with injuries.)

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Obama also endorsed Elissa Slotkin and Haley Stevens, both running for Congress in Michigan, Arizona senate candidate Kyrsten Sinema, New York candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Vermont gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist, and Iowa congressional candidate Abby Finkenauer, among others.

In response, Finkenauer shared a throwback photo of when she met the then-Senator back in 2007:

Here's a full list of Obama's endorsements, per his Twitter feed:

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From explainers to essays, cheat sheets to candidate analysis, we're breaking down exactly what you need to know about this year's midterms. Visit Marie Claire's Midterms Guide for more.

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Jenny Hollander
Jenny Hollander
Digital Director

Jenny is the Digital Director at Marie Claire. A graduate of Leeds University, and a native of London, she moved to New York in 2012 to attend the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She was the first intern at Bustle when it launched in 2013 and spent five years building out its news and politics department. In 2018 she joined Marie Claire, where she held the roles of Deputy Digital Editor and Director of Content Strategy before becoming Digital Director. In her spare time, she writes fiction: her first novel EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD was published in February 2024 and became a USA Today bestseller. She has also written extensively about developmental coordination disorder, or dyspraxia, which she was diagnosed with when she was nine.