Obama stumps for Wolf at Temple, pushing for voter turnout Tuesday

PRESIDENT Obama came to the one place in Pennsylvania where he is still popular - Philadelphia - to stump yesterday for Tom Wolf's campaign for governor.

Gov. Corbett, seeking a second term but trailing Wolf by double-digits in many polls, probably wishes Obama tried his luck in any other part of the state.

Obama's approval rating is 51 percent in Philadelphia, according to last Wednesday's Daily News/Franklin & Marshall College Poll. His disapproval rating with registered voters in northeast, southwest, northwest and central Pennsylvania ranges from 73 percent to 76 percent.

The president was raucously received at Temple University's Liacouras Center, where about 5,500 people roared in approval.

Obama's task: boosting voter turnout in Philadelphia.

He acknowledged that many Democrats tend to skip voting in midterm elections, telling the crowd, "There's no excuse to just give away our power." He urged them to push others to vote.

"We've got some work to do because two days from now you get to choose your future," Obama said to cheers. "I need all of you to go grab your friends, grab your classmates, talk to your co-workers, knock on some doors, make some phone calls . . ."

Obama was interrupted by a woman screaming, "I love you."

He didn't miss a beat: "I love you, too, but I need you to vote."

Obama depicted tomorrow's vote as a choice between "two different versions of America."

He described the successful kitchen-cabinet supply company Wolf runs in York, saying the Democrat understands the state's economy and job creation.

And he knocked Republicans for focusing on "bad ideas" like tax breaks for the wealthy, loosening regulations on banks and making cuts to public education.

Obama said Wolf is not a "professional politician" and, without mentioning Corbett, said the choice tomorrow should be for a governor who puts people first, not partisan ideology.

"He doesn't care if the idea is from a Republican or a Democrat as long as it works," Obama said of Wolf. "He's a practical person who just wants to make it work for the people of Pennsylvania."

Wolf, a low-key speaker even in a rowdy crowd, said the election is about three things: funding of public education, job creation and fairness in opportunities in the state. He drew laughs when a woman started to heckle.

"Is that you, Mom?" he joked.

Corbett spent the day campaigning in the Philadelphia suburbs, with stops in Blue Bell, Springfield, Broomall and then Ivyland, where he was joined by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Christie is chairman of the Republican Governors Association, which has given Corbett nearly $6 million for this election, making the group his single largest campaign contributor.

Christie said Democrats lack enthusiasm for Wolf, contrasting him with Corbett's business-friendly record in his first term.

And Christie mocked Obama's effort to rally voters for Wolf.

He offered to fly the president back to the state, claiming "one more half-baked rally with Barack Obama in Pennsylvania and Corbett will win in double digits."

- The Associated Press

contributed to this report.