Former President Barack Obama on Thursday will attend a fundraiser supporting a new group aimed at helping Democrats draw friendlier legislative district lines in his first "political event" since leaving office.
Obama will headline the fundraiser for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) at a private home in Washington that will also be attended by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and will be hosted by former Attorney General Eric Holder, CNN reported Monday.
Holder is leading the NDRC, created in response to a described need to redraw more Democratic friendly districts. NDRC is "building a targeted, state-by-state strategy that ensures Democrats can fight back and produce fairer maps in the 2021 redistricting process."
"Restoring fairness to our democracy by advocating for fairer, more inclusive district maps around the country is a priority for President Obama," said Kevin Lewis, a spokesman for the former president.
According to CNN, the event "marks Obama's first foray back into politics since departing the White House on January 20."
Since leaving office, the former president has traveled extensively on vacation and speaking engagements.
On April 24, Obama spoke at a University of Chicago-hosted event described as a "conversation on community organizing and civic engagement."
On May 9, he spoke at the Food Innovation Summit in Milan. He discussed food policy and climate change, and during the trip, met with Matteo Renzi, the former prime minister of Italy. Renzi resigned from office in December after voters rejected his proposed constitutional amendments.
On May 25, he spoke at an event in Berlin. The Guardian reported that he was met by an "adoring crowd" and received a "hero's welcome." During the Berlin visit, Obama was reunited with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and in his speech, he referred to Merkel as "one of my favorite partners throughout my presidency."
The Thursday fundraiser is the only so described "political event" currently on Obama's schedule, CNN noted. Other scheduled engagements include plans for Obama to speak at an health care event organized by the Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald. He will reportedly be paid $400,000 to speak at the event.