DENVER—Michelle Obama arrived in Denver for the Democratic National Convention on Sunday, hoping to help her husband regain momentum in the presidential race with four days of pageantry and speeches.
She landed at a small general-aviation terminal at Denver International Airport, accompanied by daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, and her mother, Marian Robinson.
They were welcomed by Colorado Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter and his wife, Jeannie. They hugged and chatted briefly after the plane landed.
The governor said he told Michelle Obama that Colorado will put Barack Obama in the White House.
“I said, ‘We’re pumped up.’ The convention, we think, is going to be a real boost to his candidacy for president,” Ritter said.
At the airport, Michelle Obama shook hands with first-time delegates and volunteers, including Debra Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo Indian from New Mexico.
Haaland broke down and cried when she greeted Obama.
“I just told her how important this election is to me,” she said. She also praised Barack Obama for his concern for Indian issues and invited the Obamas to the reservation.
A van the whisked the Obamas to a hotel.
Michelle Obama speaks to the convention on Monday night, along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama’s main Democratic Party rival. The theme is “Renewing America’s Promise.”
Barack Obama will accept the nomination with a speech on Thursday night.
Michelle Obama and Jeannie Ritter are co-chairwomen of the convention’s “Delegate Service Day” on Wednesday. More than 1,000 delegates are expected to help the homeless, build a playground and do other projects.
“By highlighting the importance of community service during the convention, we hope that thousands of Americans will take home with them a renewed inspiration for addressing our country’s toughest challenges through unity and service,” Michelle Obama said.
