Julio Cortez / AP
In this Sept. 20, 2017, file photo, former President Barack Obama speaks during the Goalkeepers Conference hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, in New York. Obama is stepping back into the political spotlight for the first time since leaving the White House, publicly stumping for Democratic gubernatorial candidates in Virginia and New Jersey in preparation for this fall's elections.