Preparing for his traditional Election Day basketball game and a series of TV and radio interviews today, President Obama first made an unscheduled stop at a small campaign field office in Chicago.
According to the White House pool report, Obama took off his jacket, sat down and started making a few calls.
His first call was to a voter in Wisconsin. “Hi, is this Annie? This is Barack Obama. … This is Barack Obama. You know, the president?”
“She was very nice to me even though she initially didn’t know who I was,” Obama said when the call ended.
Obama later gave a statement to the press pool thanking the American people. “It’s a source of great optimism for me whenever I come to Election Day because I end up having so much confidence in the decency and goodness and wisdom of the very folks who are working so hard trying to move their own small piece of this country forward,” he said.
“I also want to say to Governor Romney, congratulations on a spirited campaign. I know that his supporters are just as engaged and just as enthusiastic and working just as hard today,” Obama continued. “We feel confident we’ve got the votes to win that it’s going to depend ultimately on whether those votes turn out. And so I would encourage everybody on all sides just to make sure that you exercise this precious right that you have that people fought so hard for, for us to have.”
“I’m looking forward to the results. And I expect that we’ll have a good night. But no matter what happens, I just want to say how much I appreciate everybody who has supported me, everybody who has worked so hard on my behalf. And again, I want to congratulate Gov. Romney and his team for a hard-fought race as well. OK?”
His victory or concession speech will be from Chicago’s McCormick Place tonight.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member