Former President Barack Obama has returned to the fundraising circuit, attending an event in Red Bank, New Jersey, on Friday night.
Obama was set to join the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, at the high-dollar fundraiser, Axios reported ahead of the event.
It was the two-term president’s first fundraiser since the Democrats lost the White House last year. It also comes after several public problems for the DNC leadership.
The fundraiser was hosted in the Garden State by outgoing Governor Phil Murphy and his wife, Tammy Murphy, an invitation obtained by Axios stated. It comes before the state’s gubernatorial and state legislative elections in November.
Some of the funds raised are expected to be spent in New Jersey this fall. The Murphys raised more than $1.5 million at the event, according to the New Jersey Globe.
The elections are viewed as an opportunity for the parties to size each other up ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill took part in the event at the Murphy home in Middletown.
The event was sold out, and the money will go to the DNC as it works to get ready for elections later this year and in 2026. Last cycle, Obama raised $85 million for the Democrats, according to his office.
Murphy’s path in national politics began as the DNC finance chairman. During his remarks at the dinner, he spoke about the need for a strong party infrastructure and his wish for the national party to invest in his state to hold on to the governorship and state assembly control, according to the Globe.
Murphy took Obama through the “lay of the land” in the Garden State, saying that Sherrill is a strong candidate who won the six-candidate primary fight, the outlet noted.
Murphy served as the ambassador to Germany during the Obama administration.
The DNC has been plagued by infighting during Martin’s short tenure. Last month, a dozen DNC members shared their frustrations with Politico, noting their concerns with Martin’s ability to unify and lead the party as it attempts to recover from its 2024 losses.
One anonymous member told the outlet that Martin has been “weak and whiny,” and another argued that he’s been “invisible” and his “early tenure has been disappointing.”
Martin told Politico in a statement at the time that “I ran and won the race for DNC chair to get the DNC out of DC — because too many people in DC want to point fingers, and play the blame game.”
“They want to win irrelevant arguments, with no strategy involved, but the one strategic thing that makes us relevant is winning elections,” he added. “I was elected chair to help our party win again, and we are.”
Voters have labeled Democrats as “out of touch” and “weak” in the latest poll ahead of the 2026 midterms. One criticism that circulated in the wake of the presidential election was that Democrats had shifted their focus away from the working class, a segment of the population to which Trump had appealed.
Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s first chief of staff and a former mayor of Chicago and Biden-era ambassador to Japan, said, “We’re in the most serious existential crisis with Donald Trump both at home and abroad — and with the biggest political opportunity in a decade.”
“And the DNC has spent six months on a firing squad in the circle, and can’t even fire a shot out. And Trump’s world is a target-rich environment,” he added.
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