President Barack Obama is scheduled to make another visit to Central Ohio Tuesday for a campaign speech at Capital University.
The “grassroots event” is free to attend, but a ticket is required for entry. Tickets became available over the weekend at the Whitehall, Eastside and Beechcroft Obama for America field offices, but Jessica Kershaw, press secretary for Obama for America-Ohio, said all tickets had been distributed as of Monday.
Obama is scheduled to speak on the Capital quad to discuss his plans to “grow the economy, create middle-class jobs and pay down the debt,” and differentiate his policies from those of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, according to a Tuesday release.
The release stated that Obama “will highlight his plan to restore middle-class security by paying down our debt in a balanced way that ensures everyone pays their fair share and still invests in the things we need to create jobs and grow our economy over the long term, like education, energy, innovation and infrastructure” during his two-day tour of Columbus and Nevada.
Drew Stroemple, president of the OSU College Republicans, said this visit shows how important Ohio is in the upcoming election.
“(Obama’s supporters are) worried about losing Ohio. Mitt Romney has been gaining in the polls in this state every month, and he knows that … that’s why they’re putting such a big push in this area,” he said.
Obama held a three-point lead over Romney in Ohio, according to an Aug. 14 poll from Public Policy Polling.
Michael Flannagan, communication director for the College Democrats, said that Obama’s visit to OSU in the spring and his visit to Capital show his dedication to young voters.
“I think the president has shown over and over again … what is important to this campaign of students. That they care about us,” Flannagan said. “I think its fantastic, again I think it shows who’s really committed to students. Mitt Romney has not showed up to our campus. He hasn’t been here.”
Jessica Simecek, a third-year in human development and family science, heard Obama speak for the first time in March at the RPAC, where he spoke to about 2,600 people about his energy policies. She also attended the kick-off to his re-election campaign at the Schottenstein Center in May.
Simecek said living in a city like Columbus that is a popular campaign trail stop gives students a rare chance to stay informed on political issues by hearing about them from the politicians themselves.
“We have the opportunity to see the president of the United States in person, not just seeing him on the news or catching what he says second-hand,” Simecek said.
Monday afternoon at about 4:30 p.m. Romney’s campaign bus pulled onto campus and was parked outside of the Moritz College of Law as the Involvement Fair was taking place on the Oval. Niraj Antani, communication director for the College Republicans, said the bus would be parked on the Capital University campus during Obama’s speech as a protest.
Antani said the bus is one of two used by the Romney campaign.
Obama’s last visit to Columbus was May 5 for a campaign kick-off event at the Schottenstein Center. First lady Michelle Obama spoke on July 24 at Westerville Central High School in Westerville, Ohio, but the president did not accompany her then.
Vice President Joe Biden made a campaign stop in Columbus on July 19 when he spoke to a crowd at Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 189 union hall on Kinnear Road.
Romney has so far made no campaign stops in Central Ohio, but has made visits to Northern and Southern Ohio throughout the summer. His vice presidential running mate Paul Ryan, a congressman from Wisconsin, is a graduate of Miami University (Ohio).