President Barack Obama is stepping up his involvement in the much tighter than expected Massachusetts special election for the seat once held by the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), recording a robocall in which he calls state Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) his “ally” on the issues.

“Hi, this is President Barack Obama,” the president begins, according to a transcript of the call. “I rarely make these calls and I truly apologize for intruding on your day,” Obama continues. “But I had to talk to you about the election in Massachusetts on Tuesday because the stakes are so high.”

The call was first reported by blogger Greg Sargent of The Plum Line. It was shared with CQ Politics by Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse.