Obama uses chat show to woo young voters

President Barack Obama used a popular late-night TV satire show to try to rouse younger voters ahead of next Tuesday's congressional elections.

Mr Obama has been trying to shrink what political analysts call the enthusiasm gap, trying to motivate key elements of his base, such as union workers, African-Americans, Hispanics and - with his appearance on comedian Jon Stewart's programme - younger voters.

Interviewed yesterday on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart", which is extremely popular with young viewers, Mr Obama praised several members of Congress for backing measures he said they knew would be bad politically but who did so because it was the right thing to do.

"My hope is that those people are rewarded for taking those tough votes," Mr Obama said. If so, "then Democrats will be rewarded on election night."

This year's election - with Republicans, their ultra-conservative Tea Party allies and many independents angry and blaming Mr Obama for the country's continuing economic malaise - will decide contests for all 435 seats in the House, 37 places in the 100-member Senate and 37 state governorships.

With a takeover in the House expected, Republicans also are forecast to make significant gains in the Senate but fall short of capturing a 51 seat majority. Their prospects are even better in the governor's races.

With the 50 states preparing to draw new congressional district maps after this year's national census, Republican governors will have a major say in that process - one that would strongly favour Republican candidates in 2012.

That reality is guiding many of Mr Obama's appearances in the final days of the campaign and is especially evident in Ohio.

Mr Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton will be in the Midwestern state this weekend trying to save the candidacy of Governor Ted Strickland and as many as six House seats. The impact would extend beyond this year, affecting redistricting and support Mr Obama would need from the battleground state for his re-election bid.

Strickland handily won the governorship by more than 23 percentage points in 2006 but now finds himself struggling to remain in the job against Republican John Kasich.

The president will wrap up the week with a final campaign swing through five states where Democratic candidates are locked in tight contests.

It's a homestretch strategy based on how the White House believes the president can be most effective in an election in which his name is not on the ballot but his agenda is up for debate.