Politics & Government

Bruce Springsteen to Stump for Obama in Ohio, Iowa

New Jersey rocker will take the stage for the Democratic campaign to help with close races in those states.

Bruce Springsteen will join the campaign trail Thursday for President Barack Obama in Northeast Ohio and Iowa.  

The Boss will team up with former President Bill Clinton in Parma, Ohio then head on to Ames, Iowa later on that Thursday for another campaign concert and rally, according to Springsteen's website

Although, Springsteen previously said he would stay out of the 2012 election, the presidential race in these states is tightening, reported The New York Times

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“His appearance will help with our get-out-the vote effort in these critical swing states, and we are thrilled with his ongoing support,” the Obama-Biden campaign manager, Jim Messina, said in a widely quoted statement.

According to a CNN Poll of Polls, Obama only has a 3 percent lead, at 50 percent, in Ohio among likely voters over Republican candidate Mitt Romney, at 47 percent.

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Springsteen has openly supported the Democratic party in the past, performing for Obama's 2008 campaign and at his inauguration, as well as playing rallies for Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts in 2004, reported Spin Magazine. 

However, in an interview with The New Yorker, he said he was wary about joining a campaign again. “I did it twice because things were so dire,” Springsteen was quoted saying. 

During the 2004 election, Springsteen drew an estimated 80,000 people to a campaign rally in Madison, Wi., according to the San Francisco Chronicle, helping Kerry win the state.


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