Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota announced Thursday she won't seek re-election in 2026, forcing the Democratic Party to defend another open seat in next year's midterms and making more difficult their goal of regaining the Senate majority.

"I’ve decided not to run for re-election to the Senate in 2026," Smith said in a social media post. "This job has been the honor of a lifetime. For the rest of my term, I’ll work as hard as I can for Minnesotans and our country. Thank you so much, Minnesota."

Smith was appointed to the Senate in 2018 to succeed former Sen. Al Franken after his resignation over sexual misconduct allegations. She won a special election later that year to serve out Franken's term and was re-elected in 2020 to a full six-year term.

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Senate Republicans vowed to try and flip Smith's seat in blue-leaning Minnesota.

"Minnesota is in play, and we play to win. Minnesotans deserve a senator who will fight for lower taxes, economic opportunity and safer communities," National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Sen. Tim Scott said in a statement to Fox News. 

But the Senate Democrats' campaign arm quickly pledged to keep the seat in party hands.

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"No Republican has won a Minnesota Senate race in over 20 years, and Democrats will continue to hold this seat in 2026," Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) spokesperson David Bergstein emphasized in a statement to Fox News.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Democrat in the chamber, praised Smith as "a remarkable senator — smart, compassionate, and tireless in her commitment to Minnesota and the country."

"While I will deeply miss her leadership and friendship in the Senate, I have no doubt that her legacy of service will continue to inspire. We have a strong bench in Minnesota, and I’m confident that we’ll keep her seat blue," Schumer predicted.

Smith became the second Democrat in the Senate to announce she would forgo running for re-election in the midterms, following Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, a key Midwestern battleground state.

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Senate Republicans enjoyed a favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they flipped four seats from blue to red and won a 53-47 majority in the chamber.

The party in power - which is clearly the Republicans right now - traditionally faces political headwinds in the midterm elections. And while an early read of the 2026 map shows the GOP will be forced to play defense in some states, they'll also go on offense in others.

Besides the open seat in Michigan, the GOP will target first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff in battleground Georgia and longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in swing state New Hampshire.

Now the Democrats will have to pay attention to Minnesota, which the Cook Report, a top nonpartisan political handicapper, this week rated as "Likely Democrat," as it unveiled its first read on the battle for the Senate majority in the 2026 cycle.

However, Democrats aim to go on offense in blue-leaning Maine, where GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election, as well as in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is also up in 2026.

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who served as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate on the Democrats' 2024 national ticket, took to social media soon after Smith's news.

"Tina has always done the work to improve people’s lives: lowering the price of insulin, improving access to mental health services, passing historic climate legislation, and our party’s champion for reproductive freedom. Minnesotans will miss having her in the Senate," Walz wrote.

There is speculation Walz, who is eligible to run for re-election in 2026 for a third four-year term as Minnesota governor, may now have an interest in his state's open Senate seat.

Smith, in a video announcement she posted on social media, noted that Democrats "have a deep bench of political talent in Minnesota. A group of leaders that are more than ready to pick up the work and carry it forward. And I'm excited to make room for them to move forward."

Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan moved toward launching a campaign, saying in a social media post, "I love Minnesota, and my intention is to run for United States Senate and continue to serve the people of this state. I’ll make a formal announcement later this month."

There's also speculation that Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a member of the so-called Squad, may make a move to run for the Senate.

Fox News' Julia Johnson and Chad Pergram contributed to this report

The Minnesota State High School League announced Thursday it will continue to allow transgender athletes to compete against girls despite President Donald Trump's executive order to ban them from doing so.

Trump on Wednesday signed the "No Men in Women's Sports" executive order, fulfilling one of his major campaign promises of keeping biological men out of girls and women’s sports.

The Minnesota organization said in an email to member schools that participation by, and eligibility of, transgender athletes is controlled by the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which includes protections for LGBTQ+ people, and the Minnesota Constitution.

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"The Minnesota State High School League, similar to other youth sports organizations, is subject to state anti-discrimination laws, which prohibit discrimination based on gender identity," the organization said in a statement. "Therefore, students in Minnesota are allowed to participate consistent with their gender identity."

Minnesota joins California in ignoring Trump's executive order. The state is governed by Tim Walz, who was Kamala Harris' running mate for the 2024 election; the Democrats won the state.

The state was home to a Supreme Court case where a transgender powerlifter was continuing the fight to compete against biological women.

Trump signed the executive order on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which celebrates female athletes in women’s sports and those committed to providing equal access to sports for all females.

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Prior to Trump signing the order Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said part of the motivation behind Trump's executive order would be to create a "pressure campaign" for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and NCAA to follow and prevent transgender athletes from competing in women's sports. 

In response to Trump's order, the NCAA changed its policy, in place since 2010, to disallow transgender athletes from competing against women, requiring them to compete based on their birth gender.

During Trump's ceremony at the White House to sign the executive order, he announced that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will prohibit any transgender athletes attempting to compete as women from entering the country for the Olympics in 2028. 

The United Nations released study findings saying nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of winning medals because they lost to transgender athletes.

The study, "Violence against women and girls in sports," said more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.

Fox News' Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Maye Musk, mother of tech billionaire Elon Musk, is urging her son to sue CNN and other news outlets for peddling the "Nazi salute" narrative against him. 

At President Donald Trump's inauguration rally, Musk went viral over a gesture he made to the crowd the media widely linked to Adolf Hitler.

"That salute was evocative of things we’ve seen through history," CNN's Kasie Hunt reacted last week. "It’s not something you typically see at American political rallies." 

During a panel discussion on Monday night, CNN commentator Catherine Rampell accused Musk of making two "Sieg Heil" salutes, prompting her conservative colleague Scott Jennings to suggest to her and others to "lawyer up," forcefully rejecting her attacks against Musk. 

MEDIA OUTLETS ACCUSE ELON MUSK OF GIVING ‘FASCIST SALUTE’ AT TRUMP INAUGURATION RALLY

After an X user urged Elon Musk to sue Rampell and CNN for defamation, the billionaire replied "Good idea," something his mother immediately supported.

"I have been receiving so much hatred because of the @CNN panel with @crampell yelling about Nazi salutes," Maye Musk reacted on Tuesday. @ElonMusk, please sue them. Thank you @ScottJenningsKY for trying to intervene with the truth."

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Maye Musk supported the idea of suing PBS News and The Guardian following the suggestion they be sued by another X user, replying "You are right! Sue @guardian and @NewsHour too."

PBS News had posted on X, "Billionaire Elon Musk gave what appeared to be a fascist salute Monday while making a speech at the post-inauguration celebration for President Donald Trump at the Capital One Arena," later comparing the gesture as appearing "similar to the ‘Sieg Heil’ used by Nazis at their victory rallies."

The Guardian ran the headline "Elon Musk appears to make back-to-back fascist salutes at inauguration rally." 

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She also appeared to endorse suing MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and former Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, who told Maddow Tuesday night "Of course" the Tesla CEO made the "Nazi salute." Maddow previously said Musk's gesture provided a "bloodcurdling chill to the day," lumping it in to other signals of "authoritarianism" coming from Trump and those pardoned over Jan. 6. and invoking "the SA in Germany" all in the same monologue. 

On Wednesday, after an X user wrote "The Nazi hoax had gone on long enough," Ms. Musk replied "Agree, otherwise they won’t stop."

Her son already signaled he intends to sue Walz, writing on X "I think I will. Tim Walz is a creepy [clown]."

Defamation lawsuits have made headlines in recent weeks. Earlier this month, a jury found that CNN defamed Navy veteran Zachary Young over a 2021 report and ruled that he could seek punitive damages, which resulted in a settlement. 

Last month, ABC News settled a lawsuit brought by Trump for $15 million after anchor George Stephanopoulos falsely repeated the claim that the president was found "liable for rape" in the civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll.

On a call with Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, six Democratic governors pushed him to slow down the confirmation of President Trump’s nominees and to do more to block his agenda.

The Minnesota Republican Party vowed to pursue constitutional recalls against any Democratic legislator who refuses to show up at the state legislature's first day of session on Monday.

Democrats have threatened to boycott the first two weeks of the session in an effort to block Republicans from taking advantage of a narrow and temporary majority in the state legislature. Minnesota GOP Chairman Alex Plechash argued at a Monday press conference that intentionally skipping work would expose Democratic lawmakers to election recall efforts.

"Minnesotans expect one thing from their elected officials: to show up and do the job they were sent here to do. That's a basic duty, not a special request," Plechash said, speaking at the Minnesota state capitol.

Republicans currently enjoy a 67-66 seat majority in the state House and could use that majority to set legislative rules for the next two years when the session begins on Tuesday. Their advantage is likely temporary, however, with a special election in a lean-Democratic district scheduled for January 28. The previous Democratic lawmaker in the district, Curtis Johnson, won his election in November, but was later disqualified after courts determined he did not truly reside in the district.

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Republicans will therefore enjoy a majority for at least the two weeks between the start of session on Tuesday and the special election at the end of January. Republicans are also contesting the election of another Democrat, Rep. Brad Tabke, who won re-election by 14 votes after county elections officials lost 20 absentee ballots in one precinct.

"We are committed to holding every lawmaker accountable. If you don't show up for the job, you shouldn't keep it," Plechash said.

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GOP Attorney Ryan Wilson says Minnesota law requires that a recall petition receives at least 25 signatures from voters in a given district. Once obtained, the petition is then sent to the Minnesota Supreme Court to determine whether the cause for the recall meets legal standards.

Wilson said the GOP would be basing its recall requests on "nonfeasance," or the failure to perform an act that is required by law.

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If the state Supreme Court approves that reasoning, the petition would then need to be signed by at least 25% of the number of voters in the district who cast ballots in the November election. If it passes that threshold, the district would then hold a recall vote.

"We've never had a situation like this in the history of the legislature, where 66 members of a caucus are unwilling to show up for work," Wilson said.

Republican state Rep. Pam Altendorf argued Democrats are only facing a disadvantage "because of cheating." She added that the lawmakers are "acting like sore losers and not coming to work."

The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

The presidential election generated numerous high-profile political gaffes this year, including President Biden’s widely-panned debate performance and him calling Trump supporters "garbage" in the closing days of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign. 

Here are six of the biggest political gaffes of 2024: 

A disastrous performance by President Biden during his debate with former President Trump on June 27 appeared to be the beginning of the end for Biden's 2024 re-election campaign. 

He struggled with a raspy voice and delivered rambling answers during the debate in Atlanta, sparking doubts about his viability at the top of the Democratic Party’s presidential ticket. 

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Biden’s campaign blamed the hoarse voice on a cold and the 81-year-old admitted a week later that he "screwed up" and "had a bad night," yet that didn’t stop a chorus of Democrats from making calls for him to drop out of the race. 

In a shocking move, Biden then pulled the plug on his campaign on July 21 and endorsed Harris, who would go on to lose to Trump in November. 

Biden appeared to galvanize Republicans when he called Trump supporters "garbage" less than a week before Election Day. 

Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden in New York City on Oct. 27 made headlines when a comedian mocked different ethnic groups, calling Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage." 

Then, during a conference call with the Voto Latino group on Oct. 30, Biden said, "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters."  

Biden and the White House then tried to clean up his words in the days afterward. However, the remark was quickly likened to Hillary Clinton’s labeling of half of Trump supporters as belonging in "a basket of deplorables" in 2016, a comment that was widely seen as undermining her campaign. 

Vice President Kamala Harris’ answer to a question during an Oct. 8 appearance on "The View" may have been a turning point in the 2024 presidential election. 

Co-host Sunny Hostin asked Harris, "If anything, would you have done something differently than President Biden during the past four years?" Harris paused for a moment and then said, "There is not a thing that comes to mind in terms of — and I’ve been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact." 

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Hostin had given Harris a clear opportunity to differentiate herself from Biden, but Harris instead effectively cut an ad for Trump's campaign by allowing it to tie her directly to an unpopular administration. 

Harris’ running mate Tim Walz raised eyebrows during his vice presidential debate with Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, on Oct. 1, when he declared he had "become friends with school shooters." 

The poorly timed mishap occurred when the Minnesota governor was asked about changing positions on banning assault weapons.

"I sat in that office with those Sandy Hook parents. I’ve become friends with school shooters. I’ve seen it," Walz said. 

Walz presumably meant he had become friendly with parents who lost children during horrific school shootings. 

Trump appeared to confuse then-Republican presidential primary opponent Nikki Haley with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a rally in New Hampshire on Jan. 20.

Speaking in Concord, Trump said that Haley, his former ambassador to the United Nations, had been responsible for the collapse of Capitol Hill security during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Trump has previously blamed Pelosi for turning down National Guard support before the riot. 

"You know, by the way, they never report the crowd on January 6, you know, Nikki Haley. Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, you know, they — did you know they destroyed all the information and all of the evidence. Everything. Deleted and destroyed all of it, all of it, because of lots of things, like Nikki Haley is in charge of security. We offered 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guard. So whatever they want, they turned it down. They don't want to talk about that. These are very dishonest people," Trump said. 

Harris found herself in the headlines repeatedly this year for making confusing verbal statements. 

"I grew up understanding the children of the community are the children of the community, and we should all have a vested interest in ensuring that children can go grow up with the resources that they need to achieve their God-given potential," the vice president once said in September. 

"We are here because we are fighting for a democracy. Fighting for a democracy. And understand the difference here, understand the difference here, moving forward, moving forward, understand the difference here," she then said at a campaign event in November. 

The remarks drew criticism and ridicule from conservatives online. 

President Biden mistakenly introduced Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin" during a NATO conference in Washington, D.C., in July.

"And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination," Biden said, before starting to leave the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin." 

"He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy. I’m so focused on beating Putin," Biden then said, appearing to realize the verbal stumble. "We got to worry about it. Anyway, Mr. President." 

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser, Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Jacqui Heinrich, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, David Rutz, Brian Flood and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report. 

Former President Barack Obama's years of dominating Democratic Party politics may be drawing to a close, as he and party leaders will likely face a "greater reckoning" after Democrats’ losses in the 2024 election, experts predict. 

The whirlwind presidential election saw the Democratic Party rally around both President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as their nominee at separate times – all with Obama’s seal of approval. The political landscape shifted with a single tweet from Biden on a Sunday July afternoon, with Obama and his allies deeply entwined with efforts to navigate the party to what they hoped would be an electoral victory come Nov. 5, a look back at the cycle shows. 

President-elect Trump notched a decisive win last month, racking up 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226 and taking a victory lap for what the media has described as an "historic political comeback" that has shaken the Democratic establishment as they pivot to combating Trump 2.0 and his policies. 

"I think there are going to be big demands for a greater reckoning. The Democratic politburo – Obama, Pelosi, Schumer, Jeffries and others – all participated in the obvious lie that Biden was capable of a second term, in the anti-Democratic move to install a wholly untested Vice President Harris," Democratic strategist Julian Epstein told Fox News Digital when asked about Obama’s legacy following the election. "And in lacking the courage for the past four years to stand up a progressive left whose policies are far out of touch with most voters." 

"They all failed the test of leadership in this respect." 

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This month, Obama delivered a speech at the 2024 Obama Democracy Forum, which earned him a headline on MSNBC, reading, "Obama still doesn’t get why Trump won. That’s the problem."

"​​Obama’s characteristic rhetorical virtues were on full display. He was a constitutional law professor before he was a politician, and he still sounds like one. At the same time, he was a once-in-a-generation talent as a political communicator. He knows how to convey a complex set of ideas in a digestible and appealing way," the op-ed read. 

"But there was a massive gaping hole at the center of his speech. He still doesn’t understand why his eight years in power culminated in the rise of Trump," the op-ed continued, arguing that the "first step" to better respond to Americans’ demand for change from the status quo "​​is to stop listening to Barack Obama."

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The Democratic Party and Harris campaign have been dragged by some allies, such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, for moving away from working-class voters while Trump rallied their support. Harris came under fire, for example, for featuring Hollywood celebrities and musicians during her campaign rallies, which were viewed as tone-deaf as Americans struggled with inflation, and their anxiety mounted over ongoing wars in Israel and Ukraine.

Now, the Democratic Party is in the midst of a reckoning over the failed election efforts, which saw the White House and Senate flip red and the House remain in the GOP’s control.

"Harris’ advisers blame everything but themselves for their loss," an op-ed published in the Washington Post this month reads. The piece took issue with how a handful of Harris campaign staffers joined the left-wing "Pod Save America" podcast, which is hosted by former Obama aides, and defended their work on the campaign. 

David Plouffe, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, Stephanie Cutter and ​​Quentin Fulks joined the show – all of whom, except Fulks, previously worked for Obama’s presidential campaigns or administration. 

"What the four never did is directly admit any major mistakes they made. ‘We should have really pushed Harris to distance herself from President Biden’; ‘Maybe we spent too much time in Arizona’ (Harris lost there by 6 percentage points); ‘We should have had a Palestinian speaker at the Democratic National Convention.’ There were no blunt statements like that," the op-ed read. 

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While the New York Post editorial board declared in a headline following the election: "Trump and America bury the Obama doctrine."

When "​​Obama installed Kamala Harris as the latest face of his revolution, the American public of all colors, ages and genders finally called time," the Post editorial board argued. "Voters at last saw through the industrialized demonization of Trump and woke up to the truth that his policies are far closer to the American ideal and what they consider normal."

"Let’s all pray that our self-proclaimed betters in their Martha’s Vineyard mansions will finally realize that this was the death of ‘Obamaism’ once this latest thumping fully sinks in," they concluded. 

Amid the unprecedented election cycle for Democrats, Obama and his longtime allies have been entwined with Biden’s exit and Harris’ rise and fall as the nominee.  

Concerns over President Biden’s mental fitness had circulated for years, heightening last winter when Special Counsel Robert Hur, who was investigating the president’s alleged mishandling of classified documents when he was vice president, characterized Biden in his report as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory." 

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Biden’s actions on the national and international stage soon came under further scrutiny, showcasing a handful of gaffes and miscues, including Obama taking Biden’s wrist to seemingly lead him offstage at a fundraiser in LA in June, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni directing Biden back to a gaggle of world leaders in Italy that same month, and data showing Biden frequently delivered remarks to supporters at campaign rallies for a shorter amount of time than a sitcom. 

Amid the controversy, however, Obama was seemingly acting as Biden’s political closer to help lock up votes and donations, joining the 46th president at swank fundraisers in California and New York City, and at a moderated conversation with late night host Stephen Colbert between Obama, Biden and former President Bill Clinton. 

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Biden and Trump’s only debate of the election cycle opened the floodgates to both Democrats and Republicans questioning and sounding off with concern over Biden’s mental acuity. Biden was seen tripping over his words during the debate, losing his train of thought at times, responding with a raspy voice, and was overall slammed for having a slow and weak demeanor while squaring off against Trump.

Just days after the disastrous debate, Obama defended Biden’s performance by arguing the election pitted a political crusader supporting "ordinary folks" against Trump, whom he described as a man "who only cares about himself." 

"Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight – and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November," he posted to X, accompanied by a link to Biden’s campaign website. 

OBAMA SILENT OVER REPORTS HE'S WORKING ‘BEHIND THE SCENES’ TO FORCE BIDEN OUT OF THE 2024 RACE

Obama remained vocally coy on Biden in the subsequent days, as the White House was grilled about the president’s mental acuity, and soon traditional Democratic allies of the president began calling on Biden to pass the torch to a younger generation. 

Notably, a list of Obama allies and former advisers led the charge in calling for Biden’s exit from the race, including former adviser David Axelrod, former director of speech writing Jon Favreau, former advisers Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor, and Hollywood actor and longtime Obama friend George Clooney. 

"It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010," Clooney wrote in a New York Times op-ed after joining Biden and Obama for the fundraiser in L.A. "He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate."

‘OBAMA BROS' GANG UP ON BIDEN AS LONGSTANDING RUMORS OF TENSION LINGER: ‘HARD TO WATCH’

As media reports circulated that Obama was working "behind the scenes" to oust Biden from the race, the 44th president remained mum, not denying the reports. Politico reported that Clooney even gave Obama a "heads-up" that his op-ed calling on Biden to bow out of the race was set to publish, with Obama reportedly not objecting to the opinion piece.

Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 in a message posted to X that Sunday afternoon. Obama commended Biden’s decades in politics in response, but did not tip his hand on who he would endorse to take his place. 

​​"There is no singular reason why we lost, but a big reason is because the Obama advisers publicly encouraged Democratic infighting to push Joe Biden out, didn’t even want Kamala Harris as the nominee, and then signed up as the saviors of the campaign, only to run outdated Obama-era playbooks for a candidate that wasn’t Obama," one former Biden staffer told Politico.

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Biden endorsed Harris the same afternoon he dropped out of the race, teeing her up for a likely nomination with just 100 days and change to rally support from voters. 

Obama has had a long relationship with Harris, as she was among the first elected Democrats in the nation to endorse Obama’s first run for president in the 2008 election, snubbing Hillary Clinton in favor of the then-Illinois senator. 

Harris was in attendance when Obama announced his candidacy for president in 2007, after first meeting him in 2004 when he was an Illinois state senator running for the U.S. Senate, the Washington Examiner previously reported. 

"Barack Obama will be a president who finally ends the era of fear that has been used to divide and demoralize our country," Harris said during California's Democratic convention in 2008. 

OBAMA'S INNER CIRCLE SIGNALS 44TH PRESIDENT FIRMLY BEHIND HARRIS DESPITE NOT SAYING SO PUBLICLY

As Harris built her political career from San Francisco district attorney to California attorney general and then senator, Harris was even dubbed "the female Obama" by some political analysts. 

In her second presidential campaign, Harris on-boarded or retained a bevy of Obama orbit allies and former staffers, including: former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe; former deputy campaign manager for Obama's 2012 election Stephanie Cutter; former Obama campaign grassroots strategist Mitch Stewart; and former Obama White House director of communications Jennifer Palmieri.

Harris also tapped Obama’s former attorney general, Eric Holder, to lead the vetting process of her potential running mates, while Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, who worked as Obama’s 2012 deputy campaign manager and Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign chair, was announced as Harris’ campaign manager. 

Obama has historically held his presidential endorsements close to his vest, offering his support to Harris the Friday after Biden dropped out as speculation mounted surrounding the coveted Obama endorsement. 

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Obama, who was joined by former first lady Michelle Obama in the endorsement of Harris, solidified Harris as the likely nominee before the official virtual roll call vote and Harris flying to Chicago, where she accepted the nomination at the DNC. 

"I’m feeling hopeful because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible. Because we have the chance to elect someone who’s spent her entire life trying to give people the same chances America gave her. Someone who sees you and hears you and will get up every single day and fight for you: the next President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris," he declared from the DNC. 

The week before the DNC, Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would join the ticket as her running mate. Two years before winning the Oval Office in 2008, Obama was one of the few high-profile Democrats in the nation to campaign for Walz when he first launched a career in politics. 

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Democratic strategist Julian Epstein, who formerly served as chief counsel for the House Judiciary Committee, took issue with Obama for not "sticking to his guns" this election cycle in the face of left-wing policies. 

He commended Obama for challenging "woke" culture ahead of the 2020 election, but said Obama failed to amplify those calls in the coming years. He arguably allowed the left-wing faction of the party to dominate messaging and policy that shifted the party left. 

BLACK GROUP FIRES BACK AT OBAMA FOR ‘INSULTING’ HARRIS PITCH: 'WORST KIND OF IDENTITY POLITICS'

"This idea of purity and you’re never compromised and you’re always politically ‘woke’ and all that stuff," Obama said back in 2019 of "woke" culture. "You should get over that quickly."

"The world is messy; there are ambiguities," he added. "People who do really good stuff have flaws. People who you are fighting may love their kids, and share certain things with you."

Epstein said Obama "backed down" to progressive Dems, while pointing to his comments from October scolding Black men who did not support Harris. 

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"For his part, Obama called out woke four years ago only to be shouted down by far-left virtue signalers.  But rather than sticking to his guns, he backed down both during the last four years when the progressive left hijacked policy on issues like immigration, but then more recently by suggesting that working-class Black men were bad people if they didn’t fall into line with the Democratic bosses and vote for Harris. It was a very bad look," Epstein said.