By John Byrne, Chicago Tribune –
CHICAGO—Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will continue his role as a surrogate for President Barack Obama this weekend, heading to Florida to try to persuade the swing state’s key Jewish and senior citizen constituencies to vote to send Obama back to the White House.
Emanuel will be in Florida from Saturday to Monday, according to mayoral spokeswoman Sarah Hamilton. The mayor will take part in a voting rally in the Tampa Bay area. In South Florida, Emanuel will talk to seniors about Obama’s work to strengthen Medicare, Hamilton said.
The mayor also will take part in the campaign’s outreach to Florida’s Jewish residents, talking about Obama’s “support for Israel and other domestic issues important to him personally and to the Jewish community,” Hamilton said in an e-mail.
Emanuel, who served as Obama’s first White House chief of staff, has worked actively for the president’s re-election.
Days before the Chicago teachers strike began, Emanuel traveled to Charlotte, N.C., in September to give a speech at the Democratic National Convention about the tough decisions he saw the president make during his early days in office. Emanuel also has taken a more prominent position as a fundraiser since August for Obama-aligned super PAC Priorities USA Action.
Emanuel also has gone to New York and Iowa to make appearances on behalf of Obama.