Obama Swing-State Visits Surpass George W. Bush's Record

(The Wall Street Journal) - When President Barack Obama jets to Scranton, Pa., Wednesday to promote his jobs package, he'll log his 56th event in a presidential battleground state this year, putting him well ahead of President George W. Bush's record-breaking swing-state travel in 2003.

Obama's extensive travels this year have opened the president to criticism from Republicans that he is intertwining campaigning and governing at a time when he has called for bipartisanship on intractable national problems. Most of the cost is typically born by taxpayers.

Between Jan. 1 and Nov. 17 of his third year in office, Bill Clinton held 40 events over 24 days in the battlegrounds of his time, according to data compiled by Brendan Doherty, a US Naval Academy assistant professor who is widely viewed among political scientists as an expert on presidential travel. Over that same stretch, George W. Bush held 49 events in 34 days, drawing complaints from Democrats.

Obama has surpassed his predecessors in both categories; as of Nov. 17, he attended 54 events in 11 battleground states over 42 days. "Obama has certainly ramped up the volume," said Doherty, author of a forthcoming book called "The Rise of the President's Permanent Campaign."

Since Ronald Reagan, presidents have been venturing out of Washington to put legislative pressure on Congress, marshaling the power of local media coverage that always comes with a visit from Air Force One. But presidents in recent years have been pushed into electioneering more as the cost of campaigns have risen. And Obama has expanded the number of states considered battlegrounds, adding Virginia as a regular go-to for presidential events. The administration also has scheduled speeches and fundraising by Obama cabinet secretaries.

That has prompted Republicans to cry foul. Presidential candidates blamed the failure of the congressional deficit-reduction supercommittee on his inattention. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney accused Obama of a "re-election obsession."

Sean Spicer, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said Obama came to power promising to put politics aside and to unite the country. Instead, "he's been absent when it comes to leading," said Spicer. "But when it comes to campaigning and saving his own job, he is front and center."

The White House says the president's travel is not dictated by the electoral map, and officials point out that Obama has spent plenty of time in solidly blue states and made stops in red states.

Presidential travel tied to official business, such as promoting legislation -- in this case, Obama's jobs' bill -- is paid for by taxpayers. Purely political events are paid for out of campaign funds. If the trip includes both, the cost is split. Much of the president's travel has been connected to official business.

In an electoral system where winning swing states is crucial, Obama's 11 events in Virginia, 10 in Florida, eight in Pennsylvania and seven in North Carolina are to be expected, said Doherty. Obama also has granted about 50 interviews this year with local news outlets, the majority from swing states.

Obama's efforts build on an existing trend, said Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, a University of Pennsylvania political scientist. In 2004, in a study of George W. Bush's travel, she concluded, "The extent of President Bush's travel, particularly when compared to prior presidents, is not a coincidence, but rather the product of careful study and a deep desire to get re-elected."

Read more: The Wall Street Journal