President Obama travels to the Mahoning Valley - 21 News Now, More Local News for Youngstown, Ohio -

POLAND, Ohio - The national spotlight was on the Mahoning Valley as President Barack Obama made several campaign stops in the area on Friday.

President Obama's "Betting on Ohio" bus tour arrived at Dobbins Elementary School in Poland for an invitation only event. He waved to supporters who lined the streets and braved the sweltering heat.

Once inside the school, President Obama took the stage to campaign for re-election. He made it clear he's betting on the Mahoning Valley's support saying he needs four more years to build on his administration's long-term economic recovery plan.

"The choice in this election could not bigger and the stakes could not be higher. This year is going to be about more than just two candidates, or even two politicians. What's at stake this time is two fundamentally different visions about how America moves forward," the President said.

The Democrat says it's about doing the right thing and betting on America's workers. "Now Chrysler is back, and GM is the number one company in the world," Obama told the crowd of 300. The President went on to say that the future of American manufacturing can still be forged in places like Youngstown and Cleveland.

As President Obama delivered his message of hope for the future, the latest jobs report did not bring the optimistic outlook his administration had hoped for. The latest figures show that only about 80,000 new jobs were created last month, and that means the unemployment rate is holding steady at 8.2%.

But the President didn't shy away from saying more needs to be done. "So we've got to grow the economy even faster, and we've got to put even more people back to work."

Supporters of the President feel his goals of job creation, healthcare, education and re-training are right on track.

Eighty-two-year-old Grace Williams, who relied on a walker to move around, is active in the President's re-election campaign and says as a former nurse his insight to provide health-care to everyone is something desperately needed. "He needs another four years to get the rest of the way, and we're determined that we're going to get it."

U.S. Air Force Colonel John Boccieri, who is also a former Congressman, had this to say about the President's message, "When we put our weight and emphasis on helping people I think you can't go wrong with that message and that investment."

President Obama has made eight trips to the Mahoning Valley, but this is the first of his re-election campaign. But political insiders guarantee they'll be more visits from this President before Election Day.