Las Vegas part of Obama Western swing next week

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's campaign visit to Las Vegas on Oct. 22 will be part of a five-state swing through the West, the White House said Tuesday.

Obama will be on the campaign trail for four days starting Oct. 20 with stops in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Minnesota.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama will be on the road to "continue to frame the choice" that voters face in the midterm election.

In Las Vegas, the president plans to attend a "Moving America Forward" rally sponsored by the Democratic National Committee, and a fundraiser for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in coordination with the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.

The Friday rally, which Gibbs said will be a public event, is aimed at boosting voter turnout and shoring up support for Reid and Rep. Dina Titus, who are locked in tight re-election races.

No details have been released by the Democratic National Committee as to the location or time of the rally.

A White House official said chances are that Obama will stay overnight in Las Vegas before hitting the road again that Saturday.

The Las Vegas rally will take place during the early voting period in the state that starts Saturday, and less than two weeks before Election Day on Nov. 2.

Obama was last in Las Vegas in early July and also visited the city in May 2009. He appeared both times at CityCenter.

Public campaign rallies are scheduled in Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Minneapolis from Wednesday through Saturday. Obama is also attending fundraising events in those cities as well as San Francisco, the White House said.

Obama will return to the White House that Saturday night before hitting the campaign trail again on Monday, Oct. 25 in Providence, Rhode Island.

"Once we leave on Wednesday the 20th, we are on the road until late in the evening on Saturday," Gibbs said.

Democrats, who hold solid majorities in Congress, are in danger of losing control of one or both chambers this election, according to election analysts.

Recent polls show Reid in a toss-up with Republican challenger Sharron Angle. Joe Heck, a former Republican state senator from Las Vegas, is challenging Titus in what is a tight race.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau reporter Peter Urban at purban@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.