Former President Barack Obama is delivering a speech on the “state of our democracy” at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus Friday, in what will set his tone for campaigning ahead of the November midterm elections.
The former commander-in-chief is receiving the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government, which will be given to him by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. Obama, who has chimed in from time-to-time to remark on President Trump’s words and actions, is expected to address threats to the United States’ democracy and the consequences of apathy, and urge fellow Americans to vote this November.
The award Obama is receiving is the same one that was bestowed upon the late Sen. John McCain, for whom Obama gave a eulogy last week in Washington.
Obama is expected to hit the campaign trail running for Democrats this fall, as Democrats look to take control of the House from Republicans hands. He’s expected to hold a rally with Ohio gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray Thursday, and with seven Democratic House candidates in California Saturday. The former president is also slated to campaign in Illinois and September later this month, and will headline a fundraiser for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee in New York City. Obama, who has already issued a list of 81 endorsements, is expected to issue a second round of them ahead of the midterms.
The Obamas, who lived in Illinois before coming to Washington, have remained in D.C. since Mr. Trump took office. The Barack Obama Presidential Library is being built on Chicago’s South Side and is expected to open sometime in 2020.
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