Obama barnstorms 5 states to fundraise for Dems - battery storage systems
President Obama started.
National fund-raising tour Monday, heading to states where governors and congressional Democratic candidates face tough elections, two years later the president's own political fate could be decided.
Starting in Wisconsin, Obama will visit five states in the next three days, the most extensive fundraising trip of his tenure. Three -
Ohio and Florida-Wisconsin
Provides a key swing
Obama won the state election in 2008 and remained highly competitive in the midterm elections.
Two years ago, the other two states on the itinerary, California and Washington, had pretty good support, but Obama's support in both states had declined.
Obama will speak at six events for Democrats and three governors in both houses, and is expected to raise millions of dollars.
He will also attend three public events aimed at highlighting the various elements of the economic recovery, saying that the recovery is slowly taking shape due to the actions taken by his government.
The first public appearance was at Menomonee Falls on Monday, and ZBB Energy, a company that produces advanced battery storage systems, benefited from stimulus money.
Obama also plans to meet during his trip.
A Seattle bakery business owner talks about economic progress with a family in Columbus, Ohio, who believes that if Republicans control Congress in November, economic progress will reverse.
"Obviously, we have more work to do," Obama told about 100 ZBB employees gathered in the cold warehouse that his suit jacket was taken off and his sleeves rolled up.
But obviously we are in the right direction.
This means that the most serious mistake we may make is to go back to doing things that put us in trouble.
"As the mid-term election season approaches, the White House is discussing how best to deploy Obama, whose approval ratings have fallen more in some competitive states and regions than in others.
Vice President Joe Biden will also take part in the campaign, especially in areas where Obama may not be very popular.
So far, the president has been mainly raising money rather than running with the candidates, although this may change as the race gets tight.
The main target of his visit was the Democratic candidate for governor.
37 governors will be selected in November.
After speaking at the factory in menomoni falls, Obama traveled to nearby Milwaukee to attend a fundraising event for Mayor Tom Barrett, the White House's candidate for governor who helped recruit.
In a conference call with reporters, Wisconsin Republican president Reince Priebus said Obama's past visit on behalf of Democratic candidates was a "kiss of death" and he predicted that it would not help Barrett much.
In Wisconsin, he said, "Government spending is increasing, but the economy is not growing.
"By the end of the night, Obama attended a big fundraising event in Los Angeles, which is expected to make a net $1 million for Democratic congressional candidates.
The event was hosted by television producer John Wells, whose hit includes the West Wing.
Film producer Steven pilberg and DreamWorks Animation
The host includes founder Jeffrey cazenberg, but is not expected to attend the event due to scheduling conflicts.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
San Francisco introduced the president at the event.
Today, Obama will raise money for Sen.
Washington Democrat Patty Murray faces a tough race in his fourth term.
Obama will raise money for the governor in Ohio on Wednesday.
Ted Strickland and later in the day will appear in Florida with the state's chief financial officer and Democratic governor candidate Alex Sink for a fundraising event that will benefit the state.
The Associated Press contributed to the report.