First lady flubs Democrat's name in campaign speech

A campaign visit from first lady Michelle Obama can provide a real boost to a candidate in the homestretch of a tough race - if she says the candidate's name correctly, that is.

Mrs. Obama was in Iowa Friday campaigning for Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley, who's running for the state's open Senate seat.

She rallied the crowd on Braley's behalf, but her pitch was muddled somewhat by the fact that she kept mispronouncing Braley's name as "Bailey."

"I am beyond thrilled to be here today to support your next senator from Iowa, our friend Bruce Bailey," she said at the top of her remarks, according to a video of the event posted by the Des Moines Register.

The first lady repeated the mistake at least four more times, but when she advised the crowd to visit "vote.brucebailey.com," the audience laughed, and she seemed to catch her error.

"Braley! What did I say?" she asked. "I'm losing it. I'm getting old. I've been traveling too much."

According to the Register, the first lady also mistakenly labeled Braley a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps during her speech. Braley's father was a Marine, but Braley did not serve in the military.

Still, Mrs. Obama can take heart in the fact that she's not the only high-profile Democrat to have flubbed Braley's name during this election cycle. Even former President Bill Clinton, an old political pro, referred to Braley as "Bruce Bailey" during a speech at retiring Sen. Tom Harkin's steak fry fundraiser last month.

Braley is locked in a competitive race against Republican State Sen. Joni Ernst. A CBS News/New York Times analysis released this month found Braley up 44 to 43 percent. Republicans need a net gain of six seats in November's midterm to take the Senate majority.