Vice President Kamala Harris has enlisted former President Barack Obama, arguably the most popular person in the Democratic Party, to campaign for her Thursday in battleground Pennsylvania.

Mr. Obama is set to host a rally without Ms. Harris in Pittsburgh, a critical part of Pennsylvania that he carried twice. The Keystone State may decide whether she or former President Donald Trump wins on Nov. 5. 

The vice president is betting that Mr. Obama’s legacy as the first Black president will supercharge her base, boost her popularity with Black voters and bring undecideds to her camp. 

The presence of Mr. Obama is a sure sign that the Harris campaign is moving into overdrive in the close race. This week, her campaign switched its efforts from fundraising to pushing voters to get to know Ms. Harris through a media blitz. 

Early voting has already begun in Pennsylvania. She holds a 1% lead in the commonwealth over Mr. Trump, 49% to 48%, according to an aggregate of polls. However, multiple individual polls, including Emerson College, have Mr. Trump leading by 1 percentage point.

Mr. Obama is an obvious surrogate for Ms. Harris on the campaign trail. More than 90% of Democrats and 47% of independents view him favorably, according to an August survey by The Economist and YouGov. That places him well above other Democrats, including President Biden, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 

In Mr. Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention in August, he praised Ms. Harris as the natural heir to his political legacy and revived his campaign slogan, “Yes, we can.” 

In addition to campaigning for Ms. Harris, Mr. Obama also filmed an ad for Sen. Bob Casey. Mr. Obama argues in the ad that the Pennsylvania senator would hold corporations accountable for “greedflation,” guaranteeing Pennsylvanians have more money in their pockets.

“People are hurting right now. Meanwhile, corporations are raking in record profits. My friend Bob Casey is fighting back,” Mr. Obama says in the ad. 

Mr. Obama also hails Mr. Casey for reducing the price of insulin and pushing for a child tax credit. 

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.