MADISON, Wis. (AP) – First lady Michelle Obama rallied young voters Tuesday in Wisconsin’s race for governor, saying if they show up to vote Republican Gov. Scott Walker can be defeated.
Obama, standing in front of a stage full of college students, spoke at a rally near the University of Wisconsin campus before heading south to rally for Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The first lady said she returned to Wisconsin just eight days after another rally for Democrat Mary Burke in Milwaukee because she wanted to tailor her message to young voters. Obama said they should vote for Burke because she will fight to make college more affordable, raise the minimum wage, ensure women receive equal pay to men, and protect abortion rights.
“If women and minorities and young people show up, Mary wins,” Obama said to applause from the crowd of about 1,100. “Mary wins.”
Burke is locked in a tight race with Walker, a potential 2016 Republican candidate for governor. A Marquette University Law School poll released Oct. 1 showed Walker with a narrow 5-point advantage. The margin of error was 4.1 percentage points.