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Obama Jolted Crowd in Connecticut Campaign; Joe Visconti Dropped Out of Race

President Barrack Obama

(Photo : REUTERS/Larry Downing) U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event for the re-election of Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy while at Central High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, November 2, 2014.

President Barrack Obama fired up the crowd in his visit in Connecticut to campaign for Democrat candidate Governor Dannel Malloy Sunday, while independent challenger Joe Visconti dropped out of the race.

It was not a pleasant start for Obama with immigrant rights activists throwing continuous criticisms, but he immediately piqued the attention of some 1,900 attendees at Bridgeport Central High School.

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New Haven Mayor Toni Harp rendezvoused with Obama at 2:11 p.m. when Air Force One landed at the Tweed-New Haven Airport.

In his opening speech, Malloy recalled past conversations with Obama on what is regarded as the worst day in his presidency.  On December 14, 2012, 20 students and six teachers were killed on a shooting spree at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

Malloy appealed to the audience on a personal level, while Obama called him as the governor who "made the tough calls" during crisis.  Obama also taunt immigration activists who continually fought against the government without knowing that their causes are supported.

Obama highlighted that it is the GOP that blocked immigration reform, which can be countered through elections of the so-called "two different visions of America."

Like Bill Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama, who went on a series of campaign trips in New Haven and Hartford last Thursday, the president endorsed Malloy against Republican Tom Foley.  Four years ago, Malloy defeated Foley on the same race with a difference of 6,404 votes.

Obama's crowd was not as huge as his 10,000-seat audience when he was first campaigning as the first black president of United States.  Senator Chris Murphy, a known presidential ally on healthcare and increased minimum wage, also hosted the Sunday event.

Malloy's success is heavily reliant on the president's influence and resources, critics said.  He is faced against a wealthy challenger who, like Mitt Romney in 2012, is characterized as a problem solver with extensive platforms on boosting the economy.

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