Emanuel stumps for Obama in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel spoke to Iowa Democrats Saturday at a fundraising dinner to boost support for President Obama.

"In the next four years there will be more challenges and more crises that will determine the economic vitality of the middle class and the economic future of this country. Whose character, whose judgment, do you want in that office?" Emanuel said. "Over the next four years, there will be a series of choices. And it won't be clear what the outcome will be -- like the auto industry. We will need leadership; we will need values as guideposts in the Oval Office."

The former White House chief of staff told the audience of more than 1,200 at the annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner that unlike many of the GOP presidential hopefuls, Obama works just as hard for the middle class as he does the wealthy, the Chicago Tribune reported Saturday.

"Middle-class Americans cannot afford Mitt Romney's leadership and values," Emanuel said. "They cannot have a leader who turns a blind eye to their daily struggles."

The nation's first presidential caucus this year will be held in Iowa, which has traditionally been a swing state. Democrats won the state in 2008 with 54 percent of the vote, the Tribune said.

Many Republican candidates were also in Iowa Saturday, taking part in the Thanksgiving Family Forum for a discussion of values and policy.