Former President Barack Obama released a list of 81 Democratic “first wave” contenders that he’s endorsing for the 2018 midterm elections.
He qualified the leaders he chose to support as “diverse, patriotic and big-hearted” in a series of tweets on Wednesday.
“I’m confident that, together, they’ll strengthen this country we love by restoring opportunity, repairing our alliances and standing in the world, and upholding our fundamental commitment to justice, fairness, responsibility, and the rule of law,” he continued. “But first, they need our votes.”
The list includes candidates for governor, both houses of Congress and state legislative seats.
Endorsements include candidates who would be the first black women ever elected to the positions they’re vying for. These include Stacey Abrams, who’s running for governor of Georgia, and Deidre DeJear, a candidate for Iowa’s secretary of state.
Obama’s strategy, according to a statement, is to prioritize “taking back control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and growing the U.S. Senate Democratic Caucus.”
Democrats are riding a blue wave that has flipped 43 state legislative seats from red to blue since Donald Trump became president.
Obama said he plans to endorse more candidates ahead of the election and will campaign for several of them this fall.