President Barack Obama is making a campaign stop at Loudoun County High School in Leesburg tonight. The following posts are live updates from the event.
If you're at the event tonight, you can upload your own photos by clicking on the upload button below the photo gallery.
Update 8:30 p.m. -- President Obama acknowledged the importance of Virginia in his speech tonight to supporters outside Loudoun County High School.
"We won last time in Loudoun County, and if we win again, we win Virginia. And if we win Virginia, we win the election," Obama said.
In 2008, Obama won 53.7 percent of the vote in Loudoun County.
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Update 8:05 p.m. -- President Obama took the stage just a few minutes ago at Loudoun County High School.
"The choice we face in November could not be bigger," he told the crowd. "This is a choice between two fundamentally different paths for our country, two fundamentally different visions."
"If you work hard, that work should be rewarded," he continued.
Obama said he thinks the country is making progress. "We know we've got more to do, but it gives us a sense what it's like to move forward and not back," he said.
Update 7:45 p.m. -- The crowd reportedly started cheering at the sound of helicopters overhead, but some are saying Obama is arriving in a motorcade instead. He was scheduled to start speaking at 7:45 p.m., but may be running a few minutes late.
Earlier today, Obama spoke at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., just outside Orlando.
... The president also added new fire to his arsenal, touting a recent report from the non-partisan Tax Policy Institute that claims rival Mitt Romney’s tax proposals are likely to result in a net tax increase of $2,000 for middle-class wage earners.
“He's asking you to pay more so people like him can pay less,” Obama told the crowd.
See more about Obama's visit to Rollins College on OrlandoSentinel.com.
Update 6:50 p.m. -- Obama supporters are taking their seats now outside of Loudoun County High School in Leesburg.
Kate Craddock, a technical assistant at Loudoun County High School, told Patch, "I like that he got health care passed." She's happy that young people can stay on their parent's health care policy until they turn 26. "I think he needs another four years."
A man named Jerry, who declined to give his last name, was passionate about his dislike for the Republican party. "This is an absolute rehash of the GOP crap that has pulled even farther to the right by radical social conservatism," he said.
Several supporters of George Allen and Mitt Romney and many people protesting Obama's health care reforms still line the streets outside the high school (see photos at right).
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Update 6:15 p.m. -- Several hundred people have been let into the campaign event area at Loudoun County High School in Leesburg to see Obama speak about his plans for the economy and the middle class. The campaign event is expected to start around 7:45 p.m.
"I think [Obama] has made a change — at least he has tried. He's a good man," said Kathy Locraft, a technical assistant at Loudoun County High School. Locraft said she support Obama's philosophy and will vote for him, "especialy after what Mitt Romney did overseas," referring to Republican candidate Gov. Mitt Romney's reported gaffes in London and Israel. She also said she thinks "Obamacare is a plus."
"I like what he stands for," said Kiesha Robinson, of Aldie, who attended a similar event in 2008. "He's all about his people, helping out the middle class."
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Original post - 4:47 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2
President Barack Obama is making a campaign stop at Thursday evening. He is expected to speak to supporters in front of the school around 7:45 p.m.
Obama for America announced Friday that the president would travel to Virginia, Ohio, and Florida this week to present his vision to rebuild the economy from the middle out, cut taxes for middle-class families and reduce the country’s deficit.
Republicans and independent supporters of U.S. Senate candidate George Allen and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney are already lining the street near the high school.
The Obama campaign has an office in Leesburg. Virginia is widely considered a battleground state in the 2012 presidential election.
Stay with Patch throughout this afternoon and evening for live updates from Obama's visit.
