Obama makes one of his first midterm endorsements with a basketball video
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Former president Barack Obama speaking during the grand opening for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on June 18.
PHOTO: JAMIE KELTER DAVIS/NYTIMES
Tim Balk
- Barack Obama endorsed Josh Turek, a Democratic Senate candidate in Iowa, through a basketball-themed video highlighting their shared love for the sport and Iowa's political importance.
- Iowa is a key battleground state with a farming economy struggling under Trump’s tariffs, and polls show a tight race between Turek and Republican Ashley Hinson.
- Obama emphasised hope and change felt by Iowans, while Hinson’s campaign dismissed the endorsement; the video showcased lighthearted moments and their mutual respect for basketball legends.
AI generated
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama, the only Democrat to win Iowa in a presidential election in the last quarter-century, famously loves basketball.
Josh Turek, the Democratic nominee in the state’s high-stakes Senate race, does too – he was a two-time Paralympic gold medallist on the US men’s wheelchair basketball team.