It is now being reported that former First Lady Michelle Obama will not be campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris in the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election. 

This is according to a new report from CNN.

Per the outlet:

Former first lady Michelle Obama, who delivered a rallying cry speech in Chicago, is not expected to campaign, instead sticking with her officially non-partisan voter registration efforts.

This has to be seen as a big blow for Harris.

Here is why:

Whether one likes or dislikes Michelle Obama it is a simple fact that she excels at creating energy for the Democrats. We saw that very clearly at the Democratic National Convention, where Obama gave a speech that many considered to be the highlight of the event.

Back when Americans were still wondering who was going to replace President Joe Biden on the Democrats' ticket, Obama's name was constantly mentioned. There were even polls that suggested that she would be favored to beat former President Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup.

Obama, however, refused to jump in. She once claimed that she is "not interested in politics," and she has stood by this statement over the years, despite her very frequent forays in the political arena, such as her attacks on Trump or her speech at the convention.

Interestingly, though, Obama refused to campaign for Biden - back when he was still the Democrats' nominee - and, now, she is refusing to campaign for Harris. And, this has to be bad news for the Democrats.

As we will see, however, this does not mean that the Obamas will not play a large role in Harris's campaign.

Barack remains a major player

Barack Obama, in several different, ways is playing a huge role in Harris's election effort.

CNN reports:

[Barack] Obama is expected to be central in that effort, with aides working to add to his usual slate of late fall battleground campaign rallies – in person or with online influencers, whom he’s been pushing to use their platforms to get followers to vote.

The outlet goes on to report that Obama has "already recorded videos and other content in Chicago and at home in Washington that his office estimates will be hitting 30 million users across social media, aimed at younger voters."

So, although we will not be seeing much of Michelle Obama, we will be seeing plenty of Barack in the coming weeks.

Time will tell what impact this has on Harris's election chances.