President Barack Obama Overwhelmed With Emotion During Final Campaign

Barack Obama was last night overwhelmed with emotion during the final campaign performance of his career as he was forced to wipe away a tear in front of a huge crowd in Iowa.

Seemingly swept up in the significance of the event in Des Moines, the usually-stoic President appeared to weep from his left eye as he made his last plea to voters last night.

'I've come back to Iowa one more time to ask for your vote. This is where our movement for change began,' he told the crowd of 20,000 people.


Emotional: Barack Obama was caught tearing up at his final rally in Iowa on Monday night



To the people: Obama said that he picked Iowa as the place for the final rally because that was where the campaign began

Frosty: The cold temperatures of the late night rally caught up with the President

‘You took this campaign and you made it your own. When the cynics said you couldn't, you said: “Yes we can”.’

He was joined on stage by First Lady Michelle, who hugged her husband and they happily clasped hands as they strode off stage. She also gave a speech introducing Barack at the event.

The late night rally in Iowa was the final stop on the drawn out re-election campaign, and the President capped off the last 24 hours with visits to Wisconsin, Ohio and Iowa.

He was joined on the road by some top-tier celebrity supporters, including rapper Jay Z and rocker Bruce Springsteen.


It's done! A joyous Michelle greets the President after his speech to the crowd of 200,000 people

Approving look: The couple have been campaigning for Obama's re-election for nearly 18 months


That's all, folks: The Democrat called in his many celebrity supporters in an effort to raise attendance numbers at his final rallies


Light at the end: Neither of the first daughters attended the rallies with their parents

OBAMA ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The President said last night that more reforms are needed in college American football, four years after he called for an eight-team play-off system to be introduced.

This was to replace a model where the nation’s top teams were paired off in championship games based on polls and computer models.

A four-team single-elimination tournament will begin in 2014, reported the Huffington Post.

But after being asked if this went far enough on ESPN Monday Night Football's half-time show, Obama said: ‘Promises made, promises kept.

'This (a college football play-off system) was something I said needed to get done. And this is the kind of change you can believe in.

'But, I'd like to see it actually go to eight. I'll be honest with you.’

Jay Z, who has held multiple fundraisers for the President, even changed his lyrics to take a jab at the President's Republican rival Mitt Romney, rapping: 'I got 99 problems but Mitt ain't one.'

He told the crowd in Columbus, Ohio, that when Obama asked him to perform at the campaign rally, he replied: 'Michelle is coming?'

Earlier the President appeared with Springsteen in Madison, Wisconsin in a last-minute attempt to shore up his lead in the Midwestern swing state.

However, the pair drew a crowd just a quarter of the size of that drawn by Springsteen and John Kerry in 2004.

Obama and the Boss then travelled on Air Force One together to Ohio and Iowa, with Springsteen playing a short set before Obama delivers his campaign speech.

The Boss said that his travels with the President marked his first time on Air Force One, giving the presidential ride a succinct 'pretty cool'.


The Boss: Bruce Springsteen spent the day campaigning with Obama in Wisconsin, Ohio and Iowa (pictured)


Big fans: Michelle and Bruce both spoke at the Iowa rally


Happy hugs: The Obama team chose to spend the final day of the campaign in the midwest to sure up votes in the critical swing states

Waving to the masses: The crowd fought the cold to be present for the late-night event

Bringing out the crowds: Both candidates are vying for strong showings in the midwest

The two musical legends were joined by nearly 200 other well-known 'surrogates' for Obama lending their voices to the last day of his re-election effort.

'You took this campaign and you made it your own. When the cynics said you couldn't, you said: "Yes we can"'

Springsteen played his hit Land of Hope and Dreams in front of a crowd of 18,000 yesterday morning, before rousing them with a speech in support of the President.

He said that Obama had run on an optimistic message of change in 2008, but now faced 'a world that challenges your hopefulness'.

Springsteen also joked that although he was proud to support the President's re-election, 'that first debate really freaked me out'.


Support: Barack Obama was joined by celebrity allies Jay-Z and Bruce Springsteen at an event in Ohio


Passion: Jay-Z performed at a campaign event for Barack Obama in Columbus, Ohio on Monday

However, while the mood was festive, either Springsteen or Obama appeared to have lost some star power, as the turnout was sharply reduced compared to similar events in the past.

'I've come back to Iowa one more time to ask for your vote. This is where our movement for change began'

The rocker appeared with Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry in Madison in 2004, and drew a crowd of 80,000.

And in 2008, 50,000 supporters turned out to watch the Boss promote Obama's campaign in Columbus, Ohio.

Yesterday's crowd of 18,000 was even dwarfed by an Obama solo appearance in Madison on Sunday, when 30,000 people gathered to hear him speak at the University of Wisconsin campus.

Luckily for Obama, Springsteen was not the only celebrity pulling for him on the day before the presidential election.


Paired: The politician and the rocker spent the whole penultimate day of campaigning together

Triumph: But Springsteen admitted he was 'freaked out' by the first presidential debate


First class: Springsteen and his wife Patti step of Air Force One upon their arrival in Columbus, Ohio


Couple: U.S. Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney kisses his wife Ann at a campaign rally in Columbus, Ohio

The Hollywood Reporter obtained a list of 181 public figures who had joined the President's campaign and agreed to help sway the few remaining undecided voters.

Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson are all calling in to radio stations to get the message out, while Neil Diamond manned phone banks for Obama on Sunday.

'I got 99 problems but Mitt ain't one'

Jay Z

Mariah Carey and Ricky Martin hit the campaign trail in person, joining Michelle Obama at events in Florida.

Other stars associated with the re-election campaign include Stevie Wonder, Katy Perry, Brandon Routh and Sheryl Crow.

Mitt Romney has his own roster of celebrities, including Kid Rock, Meat Loaf and Clint Eastwood.

He has also drawn the apparent support of troubled actress Lindsay Lohan, who is prone to impromptu political rants via Twitter.

STARS OF STAGE AND SCREEN: THE HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY BACKING OBAMA

Anne Hathaway
Armando 'Pitbull' Perez
Ashley Judd
Billie Jean King
Brandon Routh
Bruce Springsteen
Carole King
Cedric the Entertainer
Chris Rock
Cynthia Nixon
Danny DeVito
Dave Matthews
Eva Longoria
Ice Cube
Jack Black & Kyle G.
Jake Gyllenhaal
James Taylor
Jay-Z
Jeff Tweedy (Wilco)
Jim James (My Morning Jacket)
John Cho
John Legend
John Mellencamp
Jon Hamm
Justin Long
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
Laurence Fishburne
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Mario Van Peebles
Marisa Tomei
Maya Angelou
Natalie Portman
Rashida Jones
Ricky Martin
Roger Altman
Samuel L. Jackson
Scarlett Johansson
Sheryl Crow
Stephen Stills
Stevie Wonder
Victor Cruz
Vivica A. Fox
Will.i.am
Zachary Quinto

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