(Credit: AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
(CBS News) The president embarked on a four-stop Texas fundraising tour Tuesday where he is expected to rack up $4 million dollars for his reelection campaign. His first stop: San Antonio, a Democratic enclave in the Republican state.
The solidly Republican state is highly unlikely to back President Obama come November, considering no Democratic presidential candidate has won Texas since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
"You guys are not one of the battleground states," the president admitted to the San Antonio crowd of 1,200 who paid $250 to attend. He added: "That's going to be changing soon," referring to the growing Latino population in the state.
But the president, who spends a disproportionate amount of time in battleground states such as Ohio, North Carolina and Colorado, is fully aware that the state has a large share of wealthy political donors.
Texas ranks third among political donations to federal candidates, behind California and Washington, D.C., according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Texas donors have given $165 million this campaign season, the majority of the political donations, 51 percent, have gone to Republicans, compared to $33 million - or 21 percent - to Democrats.
With the American and Texas flags as the backdrop and former "Desperate Housewives" actress Eva Longoria in attendance, the president delivered a stump speech to donors, where he compared his economic philosophy to competitor Mitt Romney's.
"My Republican opponent believes success comes from the top down," he said. "I don't believe in top down economics. I believe in middle out economics."
Continuing to attack Mitt Romney over outsourcing, President Obama said he is running for a second term because he doesn't "want pioneers in outsourcing in the White House."
"Let's put America back to work," he said to cheers, "selling goods with three proud words 'made in America' - that's my vision for America."
"We want a country where everybody gets a fair shot... everybody plays by the same rules. That's why I ran in 2008, and that's why I'm running for a second term," the president said as the crowd chanted "Four more years."
The president also held a $35,800 per person fundraiser in San Antonio before visiting another Democratic oasis in Texas - Austin - Tuesday for two fundraisers, one costing $25,000 per couple.
CBS News' Mark Knoller contributed reporting.
