Michelle Obama gets off the sidelines, will rally with Kamala Harris in Michigan

Former first lady Michelle Obama has entered the fray.

Mrs. Obama will join Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday for a rally in Michigan, a key swing state that could determine whether Ms. Harris defeats former President Donald Trump.

A campaign advisory on Wednesday emphasized that it will be Mrs. Obama’s first campaign event on behalf of Ms. Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Mrs. Obama, who lived at the White House from 2009 to 2017, had remained on the sidelines even as her husband, former President Barack Obama, and Democratic luminaries such as former President Bill Clinton hit the stump for the Democratic ticket.

The former first lady’s decision to campaign for Ms. Harris is notable because Mrs. Obama is quite popular among Democratic voters. Many of them wanted her to run for the presidency, a sign that she risked overshadowing the vice president on the campaign trail.

As President Biden’s candidacy teetered in July, an Ipsos poll found Mrs. Obama topped the list of preferred alternatives among registered voters, beating Mr. Trump 50%-39% in a hypothetical matchup.

She was the only Democratic alternative who bested Mr. Trump in that poll, with Ms. Harris trailing him 42% to 43%. Ultimately, Mr. Biden dropped out in mid-July, and Ms. Harris quickly consolidated party support to become the Democratic nominee.

Ms. Harris is locked in a statistical tie with Mr. Trump, the Republican nominee, heading into Election Day.

Mrs. Obama hasn’t shown any desire to run for political office despite pleading from Democrats. Toward the end of Mr. Obama’s second term in 2015, she told late-night host Stephen Colbert she was looking forward to doing normal things.

“I want to do little things like open a window. I want to go to Target. I want to drive,” she said.

Michigan will award 15 electoral votes in November. Mr. Trump narrowly won the state in 2016, but Mr. Biden took it back for Democrats in 2020.