Obama's "Betting on America" campaign bus tour

President Obama kicks off his two-day "Betting on America" campaign bus tour on Thursday heading to Toledo, Ohio. He'll spend the day in the battleground state campaigning on his commitment to economic growth and job creation.

He'll make three stops on Thursday in small towns in Ohio: Maumee, Sandusky, and Parma where he will speak with voters about his accomplishments in his three years in office, including the bailout of the auto industry.

“The President will also talk with voters in their communities about the choice in this election – whether we want to grow our economy from the middle out, not the top town,” the Obama campaign released in a statement. “The President is rebuilding an economy meant to last – one that restores middle class security by investing in education, energy, innovation and infrastructure and reforms the tax code - steps which will create American jobs, responsibly pay down our debt and ensure everyone – from Wall Street to Main Street – plays by the same rules and pays their fair share.”

President Obama carried Ohio in 2008 by four percentage points over John McCain.  Winning the state again is key to his re-election strategy. In a Quinnipiac poll released last week, 47% of registered voters supported Obama over 38% for Romney.

Meanwhile, the president will be holding a variety of events on his bus tour from a speech at an outdoor museum in Maumee, Ohio to an ice cream social in Sandusky, Ohio. He is also likely to make several unannounced stops at small towns along the way, much like he's done on past bus tours.