President Obama to start 2012 bus tour

President Barack Obama is expected to kick off a two-day trip on Thursday through Ohio and Pennsylvania on his first official bus tour this year, less than three weeks after opponent GOP nominee Mitt Romney finished his own tour across the region. Both states represent crucial battleground territory for the November election.

In a statement, the Obama campaign said, “Throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania, President Obama will talk about his efforts over the last three years to get our economy back on track, doubling down on American workers by saving the auto industry, investing in manufacturing and bringing jobs back to America.” On Thursday morning, the president will hold a grassroots event in Maumee, a city in the northern part of Ohio, and later travel to Sandusky for an ice cream social. He’s expected to end the day with another grassroots event in Parma, a town outside Cleveland.