Iowans Pour Into Fairgrounds for President Obama's Kickoff Campaign Event in Hawkeye State

They had to wait for more than two hours. But they didn't care.

President Obama will hold a campaign event at 7 tonight at the Paul R. Knapp Animal Learning Center at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Iowans from all over flocked to the grounds three to four hours in advance to get a good vantage point.

Earlier in the afternoon the president visited TPI Composites, a Newton manufacturer of blades for wind turbines.

The Obama campaign says the president will outline how far the country has come and the clear choice that voters face in the November election between Obama and likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

With the campaign slogan "Forward," the Democrats criticize Republicans for wanting to return "to the failed policies that led to the financial crisis and left middle-class Americans struggling to make ends meet."

Obama used the appearance at TPI Composites to emphasize his campaign message that his administration is focused on economic growth that promotes a strong, enduring middle class, reported the Washington Post.

The president told a crowd of supporters on the factory floor that the tax credits first enacted in 2009 as part of his economic stimulus are set to expire if Congress does not pass an extension by year’s end. Without the tax break, up to 37,000 jobs could be lost, according to administration officials and industry experts.

“If Congress doesn’t act, companies like this one will take a hit,” Obama said in the Post story. “Jobs will be lost. That’s not a guess. That’s a fact. We can’t let that happen.”

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman A.J. Spiker responded that “While President Obama continues to jaunt around Iowa on the taxpayer’s dime, hard-working Iowans are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table. … President Obama has shown a particular lack of leadership when it comes to energy policy."

At last year's Iowa State Fair, Romney suffered one of his most ignominious moments, the Post said. The former Massachusetts governor famously remarked during a contentious exchange with local residents that “corporations are people,” a comment that has haunted Romney as he attempts to sell his own economic message to independent voters.

Check with Patch for coverage of President Obama's Des Moines speech later this evening.