Rahm Emanuel Iowa-Bound To Campaign For Obama

Mayor Rahm Emanuel will headline the Iowa Democratic Party's fundraiser for his former boss, President Barack Obama, according to an announcement from the party's chair Tuesday.

Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky called Emanuel "one of the great advocates for Democratic values and middle class opportunity" and praised his service in the Clinton and Obama administrations, in Congress, and now in the city of Chicago when she announced that he would be the keynote speaker at one of the Democrats' biggest events this early in the election cycle, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Emanuel, who formerly served as Obama's Chief of Staff, left the White House to run for mayor of Chicago last September.

"Announcements like this will continue to bring Democrats together and build the organization we need to win in 2012," Dvorsky said in a statement, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Emanuel will be speaking at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner on November 19, the second time he's played a high-profile role in Obama's reelection campaign, the Times reports. He also spoke at a New York fundraiser for the president in July.