Obama Wooing Democratic Base on Final Campaign Swing of Midterm Elections
President Barack Obama embarked on a final weekend of campaigning in four states to try to stem a potential Republican wave in next week’s congressional elections.
Obama went to the center of his political base last night for a rally a few blocks from his home on Chicago’s South Side designed to motivate Democratic voters and boost the party’s candidate bidding to win the president’s old U.S. Senate seat.
That Obama was forced to spend part of the final campaign weekend in Illinois, where all of the statewide elected officials are Democrats, illustrated the defensive position he and his party have been forced into by a political environment that could reshape control of Washington.
“Chicago, in three days, you have the chance to set the direction of this state and this country for years to come,” Obama told an audience gathered outdoors near the University of Chicago. “And, just like you did in 2008, you can defy the conventional wisdom.”
Obama, who taught at the university’s law school, has placed his political prestige on the line in Illinois. He has made three appearance for Alexi Giannoulias, the Democratic state treasurer seeking the Illinois Senate seat Obama once held. That rivals his effort for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is trailing in the most recent Nevada polls against Republican Sharron Angle.
Knocking on Doors
“I need you to knock on some doors,” Obama told the Chicago crowd. “I need you to talk to your neighbors. I need you to get out and vote.”
Mark Kirk, the Republican nominee, and Giannoulias have spent much of their campaign debating who is least trustworthy. Giannoulias has dealt with fallout from the April failure of his family’s Broadway Bank, while Kirk was forced to apologize for exaggerating his biography.
Kirk, a five-term congressman from Chicago’s northern suburbs, led 44 percent to 41 percent in a Chicago Tribune/WGN- TV poll taken Oct. 18-22 that had a 3.7 percentage point margin of error.
Giannoulias has featured Obama in his television ads, a rarity among Democrats this election season.
“Will we, can we, join President Obama to move this great country forward?” Giannoulias asked before the president spoke. “Yes we can.”
Kirk is scheduled to appear today in Chicago with Republican Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts. Brown won a January special election in a state that, like Illinois, historically leans Democratic.
Republican View
Republicans said Obama’s hometown effort on behalf of Giannoulias showed the candidate’s vulnerability.
“The visit today says more about Alexi’s weakness as a candidate than anything,” Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady told reporters on a conference call yesterday.
Republicans are projected to gain a net of least 55 U.S. House seats by the Rothenberg Political Report, a nonpartisan publication based in Washington. Republicans need a 39-seat gain to take control of the chamber.
Rothenberg and other analysts say Democrats have a better chance of keeping control of the U.S. Senate, where Republicans would need to gain 10 seats to take control.
Asked if Democrats could hold the House, David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Obama, expressed confidence.
“I think we’ve got a great shot to do that,” he said. “We’re not writing anything off.”
Economic Concerns
The midterm campaign has been shaped by a national unemployment rate at or above 9.5 percent for the last 14 months, criticism of the White House’s domestic agenda and an anti- Washington sentiment reflected in the Tea Party movement.
Republican dominance even in one chamber likely would set back Obama’s agenda. The loss of Democratic governorships could add extra hurdles to any Obama bid for reelection in 2012 because of the assistance they can provide in critical swing states such as Ohio.
At a rally today in Cleveland, Obama will be joined by Vice President Joe Biden at a stop for the benefit of Democratic Governor Ted Strickland, who is in a close race with Republican challenger John Kasich, a former congressman.
In Ohio’s Senate race, polls show Republican Rob Portman leading Democrat Lee Fisher to fill the seat left vacant by the retirement of Republican George Voinovich.
Cleveland is one of four finalists to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention, where Obama will likely seek re- nomination for a second term.
Reviving Support
Throughout yesterday’s events, Obama tried to reignite the energy that propelled him to the White House as he urged supporters to “finish what we started” in 2008.
The president called on his supporters to fight to prevent Republicans from winning congressional control.
“We have tried what they are selling right now,” he told an audience of about 9,000 in a nearly full arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. “We are not going back to that. That is the choice in this election.”
Obama, 49, made the Connecticut stop to support Democratic Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal, who is leading in the polls in his contest with Republican nominee Linda McMahon, a Tea Party favorite and former chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.
Obama also stopped in Philadelphia, seeking to boost Representative Joe Sestak, a Democrat in a close Senate race with former Representative Pat Toomey, a Republican. Sestak needs a strong turnout among Philadelphia voters, especially among blacks.
To contact the reporter on this story: John McCormick in Chicago at jmccormick16@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva in Washington at msilva34@bloomberg.net
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