Bill joins Barack for battle

US President Barack Obama and Bill Clinton will campaign together next week in three of the most competitive battleground states.

Obama and the former president will hold rallies on Monday in Florida, Ohio and Virginia.

Their appearances will kick off the final full week of campaigning before Election Day.

The joint rallies underscore Clinton’s role as perhaps Obama’s most important surrogate in the tightly contested White House race with Republican Mitt Romney.

In campaign events, television advertisements and a well-regarded speech at the Democratic convention, the former president has been a chief defender of Obama’s economic record, winning praise for sometimes explaining that record better than Obama himself.

It’s the first time Obama and Clinton will campaign together during this election, though they have shared the stage at fundraisers and appeared together briefly at the party convention.

Following his convention speech, Clinton has made a series of solo appearances on Obama’s behalf. A high-profile event in Ohio last week also featured Bruce Springsteen.

Obama advisers are banking that Clinton’s presence on the campaign trail will shore up the Democratic base. And they hope undecided voters will draw a connection between Obama’s policies and the ones Clinton pushed when he presided over a thriving economy.