First Lady Michelle Obama Boosting President’s Campaign

First Lady Michelle Obama answers a question .

First Lady Michelle Obama is playing an increasingly important role in her husband's re-election drive.

She is not only on the road promoting her husband's agenda, she is also serving as a validator of his leadership and values.

[Photos: Michelle Obama Promotes Let's Move! Initiative]

"She can speak to the president's character and his steady hand in times of crisis," says Obama campaign manager Jim Messina.

Mrs. Obama will appear with her husband at two rallies designed to kick off his 2012 campaign May 5 in Columbus, Ohio, and Richmond, Va.

She also has an increasingly active schedule promoting not only her initiatives, such as fighting childhood obesity and promoting a healthy diet, but also arguing for her husband's re-election. She is scheduled to appear next week at campaign events in Colorado Springs, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, and Tucson, Ariz.

Recent polls show that two-thirds of Americans have a favorable view of the first lady, far exceeding her husband's job approval ratings, which are hovering between 45 to 50 percent.

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