President Obama Touches Down in Chicago to Raise Cash

President Barack Obama flies into Chicago Wednesday for a quick fundraising trip. He's relied often on his hometown for financial support as the 2012 election ramps up.

The president last raised money in Chicago in August, and before then in April. One of Obama's former chiefs of staff is Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who on Tuesday said re-election fundraising will be a 'national' responsibility.

"I know this - the president can rely on his friends and deep supporters in the city of Chicago to play its role in that effort," Emanuel said.

On Wednesday afternoon, President Obama will attend a large low-dollar fundraiser at the UIC Forum on Chicago's Near West Side. He will then hit two high-price fundraisers, with ticket prices topping out at $35,800 per couple.

A statement from the head of Illinois' Republican Party, Pat Brady, accused the president of using Chicago as a "piggybank for his reelect" at a time when out-of-work "Americans struggle.