Obama warns of high stakes on campaign trail

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama yesterday pursued a coast-to-coast campaign blitz through key battlegrounds, looking to energise Democrats and stave off a likely drubbing in elections barely two weeks off.

“This is a tough political environment,” he told a cheering crowd during a tag-team campaign trip on Friday in Delaware, home patch of Vice President Joe Biden. “I need you all to keep on fighting.”

With the November 2 contest set to turn on deep voter anger at the sour US economy, high joblessness, and soaring home foreclosures, Obama has been warning his Republican foes will make things worse.