Michelle Obama raises funds, Dems’ hopes

Just hours after an at-times testy interview between President Obama and Univision Radio host Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo aired on Monday, the popular Spanish-language show said it would get a crack at yet another White House star — first lady Michelle Obama — in his studio on Thursday.

In an election in which Mr. Obama has found limits to his campaign abilities and Democrats have shed support among female voters, Mrs. Obama is in demand as she raises cash for vulnerable Democrats and champions an array of nonpartisan causes likely to appeal to women and independents.

Since hitting the road in mid-October for the first time since 2008, the first lady has visited eight states, including a joint appearance with her husband at a rally in Ohio, and raised as much as $1 million at a pair of New York City fundraisers and $1.6 million at an event this week in San Francisco, where she stood alongside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

“When the first lady flies across the country, that shows you what’s at stake,” Sen. Barbara Boxer, who is facing a strong challenge from Republican Carly Fiorina, told the crowd at a fundraiser headlined by Mrs. Obama earlier this week.

On the road, Mrs. Obama echoes her husband’s warnings about what’s at stake on Tuesday, hearkening back to the message in 2008.

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Jill Biden (left), Sen. Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, and first lady Michelle ... more >

“California, my husband can’t do it alone,” Mrs. Obama said with Mrs. Boxer at her side.

“Our campaign was never about putting one man in the White House. It was about building a movement for change.”

The first lady also has appealed to critical Democratic voting blocs ahead of Tuesday’s election in less-partisan venues.

In addition to the appearance on Mr. Sotelo’s talk show — popular among Hispanics — she has reached out to female voters through a speech at a women’s conference in Long Beach, Calif., and made an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” with Mrs. Biden.

Her husband likewise has courted key party constituencies, but judging by her enviable popularity, there’s a chance that Mrs. Obama’s message might be even more likely to resonate.

Sixty-five percent of Americans approve of her performance, according to a recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey — 20 points more than Mr. Obama’s 45 percent rating.

Unlike her husband, she polls strongly among independents and moderates, garnering 61 percent and 73 percent, respectively.

Observers credit the first lady’s wide appeal to her “mom-in-chief” image, which allows her to transcend many of the polarizing issues that have mired her husband.

The first way that Mrs. Obama “describes herself is as the mother of her children and how that’s one of the more important things in her life,” said Kathy Smith, a professor at Wake Forest University who studies first ladies, adding that Mrs. Obama’s causes have “not been very divisive.”

“Obesity in children — that’s not controversial; healthy living — not controversial; supporting military families — again, not controversial,” she said.

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