First lady Michelle Obama on Friday night urged Democrats to send “Bruce Bailey” to the U.S. Senate in November, repeatedly botching the name of the party’s candidate in Iowa before eventually being corrected by the audience.
The Democrat running to fill retiring Sen. Tom Harkin’s Iowa seat is Bruce Braley.
Mrs. Obama made her remarks at a rally at Drake University in Des Moines. She flubbed Mr. Braley’s name from the outset.
“Thank you guys so much! I am beyond thrilled to be here today to support your next senator from Iowa, our friend, Bruce Bailey. Man, I’m so honored to be here,” she said.
The first lady repeated the mistake several times throughout her speech. She also referred to Mr. Braley — who has served in the House since 2007 — as a “Marine Corps veteran.”
Mr. Braley is not a Marine. He is “the son of a Marine veteran,” according to his campaign website.
Ultimately, someone in the crowd corrected Mrs. Obama when she directed voters to “BruceBailey.com,” which does not exist.
“And you can request a ballot by mail right here at this event, or you can go to Vote.BruceBailey.com — that’s Vote.BruceBailey.com,” Mrs. Obama said before an audience member shouted “Braley!”
“Braley. What did I say? I’m losing it. I’m getting old,” the first lady said. “I know where I am. I know what I’m doing. That’s why we need you young people. You’ve got to help us out.”
Mr. Braley is locked in a close race with Republican Joni Ernst.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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