GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney made several appearances in the Chicago area Tuesday as he fundraised in the President Barack Obama's hometown.
Romney started his day in suburban Elk Grove Village, Ill., where he trashed Obama's economic policies.
"The American middle class is struggling under this president," Romney said at the suburban Acme Industries manufacturing plant, ABC Chicago reports. "If we were to re-elect him you'd see more chronic unemployment, continuing wage decline or stagnation and, of course, an economy on the verge of economic crisis given the massive debt we have."
Obama is feeding a "culture of dependency," Romney continued Tuesday, according to the Chicago Tribune.
That slam echoed a television ad released Tuesday that criticized Obama for implementing the same welfare policy that Romney supported when he was governor of Massachusetts.
"President Obama is simply out of ideas, he’s out of excuses, and Illinois needs to help me make sure that, in November, we put him out of office," Romney added, CBS Chicago reports.
Romney also asked for a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin while speaking at the plant.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Romney expects to rake in about $2 million at his private fundraising events in Chicago, which include a lunch roundtable at Harry Caray's -- with tickets ranging from $10,000 to $75,800 apiece -- and another event at Maggiano's -- with tickets costing from $5,000 to $50,000.
The last time Romney fundraised in Chicago, in June, he made $3.3 million from an event at the Public Hotel's Pump Room.
Obama is expected to return to his hometown for several birthday-themed fundraisers, including one at his family's South Side home, this weekend. The president's 2011 birthday celebration raised $3.6 million between three separate events held over the course of about three hours.
In July, the Romney campaign raised just more than $100 million, marking the third consecutive month Romney has out-fundraised Obama.
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