CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Oct. 30 (UPI) -- At a rally for freshman Rep. Tom Perriello in Charlottesville, President Obama said the Virginia congressman has voted for what is right, not what's popular.
About 10,000 people attended Friday's rally, Obama's first campaign stop this fall on behalf of an individual House member, The Washington Post reported.
"I'm not here because Tom votes with me on every issue. Sometimes he disagrees with me,'' Obama said. "He didn't go to Washington to do what was easy or do what was popular. He went to do what was right."
Perriello was said to be running about even with state Sen. Robert Hurt, who said Perriello is an Obama puppet, the newspaper said.
Perriello has portrayed himself as an independent who bucked his party on bailout money for Wall Street, gun control and free-trade agreements.
"The president and I agree on some issues and disagree on some others, but I have made sure that he doesn't forget about towns like Danville, Martinsville and Charlottesville," Perriello told the crowd.
