Our top story today former President Barack Obama is back on the campaign trail in Anaheim Saturday. Obama stood beside six California Congressional hopefuls where there's a vacuum. In our democracy when we are not participating we're not paying attention well we're not stepping up. Other voices fill the void but the good news is in two months we have a chance to restore some sanity in our politics. Democrats from around the country are investing heavily in the California races hoping to flip seats currently held by Republicans and perhaps retake the U.S. House of Representatives. Kay PCCs politics reporter Mary Plummer covered the event and joins me now. Thanks for being with us Mary. Oh my pleasure. So now political observers are looking at Orange County as the epicenter of the fight to take back control of the house. What does former President Obama's appearance at the event do for this effort. Well you know folks were really excited to see Obama and his presence there was really an effort to get out the vote. They're really hoping that he will rally the base of the party going into these midterm elections. Turnout is going to be a really key factor. Democrats hope to do well in these congressional districts. What was his message on Saturday. You know as I mentioned it was a get out the vote speech but there was also some interesting commentary on the state of politics today. Interestingly Obama did not mention President Trump by name but he did make references to deep divisions under the current administration. At one point during this speech Obama warned the crowd about the consequences of not voting saying quote If we don't step up things can get worse. He also appealed to grass roots activists. Let's take a listen to that. Or. Not. Going. To kick off their bedroom slippers with them on our marching shoes. And we're going to start taking some clipboards. Now. We should note who is in the audience I think it was basically mostly campaign stuff right. That was obviously very enthusiastically received. Yes absolutely. This was a crowd of extremely engaged Democrats and it was a ticketed event for about 750 people many of them were campaign staff and especially a lot of campaign volunteers were there most of the people in attendance were from the seven congressional district campaigns that the president was throwing his support behind on Saturday just six of those candidates as you mentioned were there in person. And among that group it includes two districts in the Central Valley and five in Southern California. You know overall people were very excited. It was very high energy during the speech attendees shouted out at the president saying yes we can and we miss you. And of course the one that relates most to San Diego's the 49 Congressional District which stretches up the coastline there from Lake Lahaie or up to to Dana Point. No Republican analysts are saying that Obama's speech will only motivate more Republicans to come out in November. Are there enough Democratic voters in these districts to swing these seats. Well these districts are all very very competitive. I'm your listeners may remember that back in 2016 Republican Darrell Issa just squeaked in a win in that 49 congressional district. He was reelected by only about 16 100 votes so very tight there. But you know the demographics are shifting and Democrats are certainly investing a lot of money in these seats. They've got a lot on the line and are hoping to make progress. But these are tough districts for Democrats to win in. And of course we know that these six districts were all ones where Hillary Clinton won in 2016 but Democrat Mike Levin and the other congressional candidates did they make much of an appearance. This event it was interesting you know they did not speak on stage but after President Obama spoke to the crowd of several hundred people they did come up for a photo op and perhaps no one was more excited than these congressional candidates. You could tell by the looks on their faces this was really a thrill to be up there with President Obama. So certainly these campaigns for these candidates are really going to be maximizing that image moving forward hoping to use it to rally the Democratic base to turn out in November. And finally as with all political events these days there were protesters there as well. What was the message. There were just a couple Trump supporters who came before the event started and they were there you know supporting President Trump really rallying against the Democrats. And even though there was only a couple of them they did show up with loudspeakers so they had quite a presence there for the most part. Many of the Democrats just ignored them. There were a couple Democrats who kind of marched through the crowd chanting back at the protesters saying quote take it back. But it was a little reminder that you know certainly in Orange County in San Diego County there are plenty of Trump supporters out there and in these key congressional districts that Democrats are trying to flip. It will be a tough fight ahead for Democrats. Mary thanks so much for joining us. Thank you. My pleasure. That's Mary Plummer PCCs politics correspondent.
Former President Barack Obama says the November midterm elections will give Americans "a chance to restore some sanity in our politics," taking another swipe at his successor as he raises his profile campaigning for fellow Democrats to regain control of the House.
Obama didn't mention President Donald Trump by name during a 20-minute speech Saturday in the key Southern California battleground of Orange County but the allusions were clear.
"We're in a challenging moment because, when you look at the arc of American history, there's always been a push and pull between those who want to go forward and those who want to look back, between those who want to divide and those are seeking to bring people together, between those who promote the politics of hope and those who exploit the politics of fear," he said.
His appearance — one day after a strongly worded critique of Trump at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — touched on themes of retirement security, climate change and education.
"If we don't step up, things can get worse," the former president told the audience at the Anaheim Convention Center. "In two months, we have the chance to restore some sanity to our politics. We have the chance to flip the House of Representatives and make sure there are real checks and balances in Washington."
Obama gave shout-outs to seven Democratic candidates in competitive House districts across California that are considered crucial to the party's efforts to oust Republicans from control. Four of those districts are at least partly in Orange County, a formerly reliable GOP bastion that went for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
"We're going to put on our marching shoes, we're going to start knocking on some doors, we're going to start making some calls," he said to cheers.
Clinton trounced Trump by more than 4 million votes in California in 2016 and carried Orange County by 9 percentage points. A surge in immigrants has transformed California and its voting patterns. The number of Hispanics, blacks and Asians combined has outnumbered whites in the state since 1998. Meanwhile, new voters, largely Latinos and Asians, lean Democratic.
In Orange County, Republicans held a 13-point edge in voter registration 10 years ago but that has shrunk to 3 points while independents, who tend to vote like Democrats in California, have climbed to 25 percent.
Democrats, hoping to build on their 39-14 advantage in the state's congressional delegation, are eyeing Republican seats in districts that Clinton won in 2016. Each of the seven candidates that Obama campaigned for on Saturday fit that description.
In Orange County, GOP Rep. Mimi Walters faces a challenge from Katie Porter, a law professor at University of California at Irvine. Environmental lawyer Mike Levin is seeking an open seat to replace retiring GOP Rep. Darrell Issa in a district that includes part of Orange County.
Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, whose district encompasses part of Orange County, is fending off a challenge from Democratic real estate investor Harley Rouda to secure a 16th term in Congress despite barely winning 30 percent of the primary vote. In the other Orange County race, Gil Cisneros, a Democratic philanthropist and Navy veteran, is vying for an open seat created by retiring Republican Ed Royce.
Obama also highlighted two races in the state's Central Valley, praising venture capitalist Josh Harder in his bid to unseat four-term Republican Jeff Denham, and T.J. Cox, who is challenging David Valadao in a district where Democrats hold a 17-point advantage in voter registration.
He also made a plug for nonprofit executive Katie Hill in her Los Angeles-area race to unseat sophomore Republican Steve Knight, who won an underwhelming 53 percent of the vote in 2016.
California Republicans said Obama's appearance would have little impact and may even help their party.
"I wish he would come more often because he reminds Republicans of eight years of misery," said Republican National Committeeman Shawn Steel, who lives in Orange County. "It reminds the Republicans why these midterms are important."
Vice President Mike Pence says it's disappointing that Obama is back on the campaign trail criticizing Trump.
Says Pence: "The truth is, the American people in 2016 rejected the policy and direction of Barack Obama when they elected President Donald Trump." Pence comments came in a taped interview set to air on "Fox News Sunday." Fox released an excerpt on Saturday.
Obama is expected to deliver a similar message in Cleveland on Thursday, when he campaigns on behalf of Richard Cordray, the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor, and other Democrats.
