Democrats lost 63 House seats in 2010 on Barack Obama's watch – the single worst midterm wipeout in decades.
Now, with the DNC $2 million in the hole and its chairman on the verge of quitting, they're calling Obama back in.
The man who presided over the greatest Democrat collapse in modern history just became their last hope for November.
DNC Is 2 Million in Debt and Calling Obama for a Marthas Vineyard Fundraiser
Barack Obama flew to Martha's Vineyard to headline a fundraiser for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, the organization run by his former Attorney General Eric Holder.
He is scheduled for a second event September 10 in New York City alongside House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Democrats need him for one reason: they are broke.
The DNC holds $16.3 million in cash against $18.5 million in debt – putting the party more than $2 million in the red heading into November.
The Republican National Committee is sitting on $130 million in cash while Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC has $400 million in reserve.
In July alone, the DNC brought in $9 million while the RNC raised $19 million.
Redistricting handed Republicans at least 10 additional GOP-leaning districts before a single vote was cast.
Republicans are outspending Democrats at every level and already won the redistricting fight.
And the Democrat answer to all of it is a weekend fundraiser on Martha's Vineyard.
DNC Chair Ken Martin Admitted He Does Not Want the Job Anymore
DNC Chair Ken Martin didn't just fail to close the fundraising gap.
He got caught on a leaked Zoom call saying something that would end most political careers.
Martin told fellow party officers he couldn't lead the party through the infighting, then said the words that made headlines: "I don't know if I wanna do this anymore."
State party leaders who spoke to reporters described Martin as someone who trusts almost no one – more focused on tracking down the people criticizing him online than doing the job he was elected to do.
DNC Vice Chair David Hogg walked out after a public blowup over his $20 million effort to primary sitting House Democrats.
Randi Weingarten – the powerful teachers' union boss and longtime DNC fixture – resigned from the committee entirely after Martin stripped her from a key role.
Then there's the party's official 2024 election autopsy – Martin sat on it for months, released it, and told everyone it was too flawed to be useful anyway.
This is the organization Barack Obama has been asked to rescue.
Obama's Midterm Record Lost Democrats 910 State Seats and Now He Is Their 2026 Plan
Democrats need America to forget one number.
Those 63 House seats lost in 2010 were just the beginning – Democrats dropped 13 more House seats in 2014, surrendered 9 Senate seats in that same cycle, and watched more than 910 state legislative seats flip Republican across the country.
By the time Obama walked out of the White House in January 2017, Democrats had suffered the largest down-ballot collapse since Dwight Eisenhower.
He didn't just watch it happen.
He was the reason it happened.
Democrat strategist Garry South told the Washington Examiner that Democrats are "frustrated and a little ticked off" that Obama hasn't been more aggressive.
He's not wrong.
The party doesn't need an elder statesman hosting elegant fundraisers on Martha's Vineyard.
It needs someone willing to throw punches – and he can’t land a jab anymore.
Obama's own team has made it clear he wants to "transition from player to coach" – to help the "next generation of Democrats" find their footing.
So that's the Democrat plan for November – call in a man who wants to mentor the next generation, not throw punches in this fight.
The team he's coaching is $2 million in debt, led by a chairman who isn't sure he wants to show up anymore, and facing a Republican war chest of half a billion dollars.
The RNC has $130 million.
MAGA Inc. has $400 million.
Democrats have Barack Obama, a weekend in Martha's Vineyard, and a whole lot of hope.
Sources:
- Naomi Lim, "Obama Summoned to Action as GOP Widens Cash Advantage," Washington Examiner, August 31, 2026.
- Randy DeSoto, "Democrats Call in Obama in Bid to Narrow Fundraising Gap as Midterms Approach," Western Journal, August 31, 2026.
- Rick Moran, "GOP Has Twice the Cash on Hand for Midterms as Democrats. It's Actually Worse Than That," PJ Media, July 22, 2026.