Obama Steps Up for Boxer

The midterm elections are nearly upon us, and things are looking a little dicey for longtime California Sen. Barbara Boxer in her race for re-election against newcomer Carly Fiorina. That’s why President Obama happened to be at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on Friday, along with gubernatorial hopeful Jerry Brown and actor Jamie Foxx. –KA

Los Angeles Times:

But with a booming “Hello L.A.!” the president leapt onto the stage here on Friday to make the case for Senator Barbara Boxer, a Democrat locked in what is clearly the toughest race of her career.

Ms. Boxer has been on the outer rim of Republican targets this year. For all her vulnerabilities, reflected in polls that show voters unhappy with the economy and with Ms. Boxer herself, her political views are roughly in line with this Democratic state, in contrast with her Republican opponent, Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard.

But Ms. Boxer is struggling right through these final days of her campaign for a fourth term in the Senate. Republicans — awash in money, emboldened by what they hope will be a national anti-Democratic surge, and sensing Ms. Boxer’s weaknesses — invested $4.8 million in a last-minute effort to pull this state into the Republican column, and said they were prepared to spend more.

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