Trump vs Obama - which president has the star power to get out the vote?

Two of the country's best-known political figures are out on the road, each working to rally support ahead of a midterm election that the BBC describes as critical. President Donald Trump is appearing for Republican candidates, while former President Barack Obama is doing the same for Democrats. Both parties are betting that the personal celebrity of these men can lift the number of people who actually cast ballots.

To test that bet, the BBC's Sarah Smith went to rallies headlined by each of them. She put one question to attendees: which of the two presidents is still able to persuade voters to head to the polling place? Their answers form the heart of a short video segment that runs just under two minutes.

BBC coverage of the contest also includes a plain-language explainer on how the American midterms work, plus a separate interview in which the network questioned Democrat El-Sayed about a tight Senate race in Michigan. The common thread is turnout, and whether famous names can still move it.

Summarized by PolitiKool from BBC’s reporting. Read the full story at BBC →