AUSTIN — President Barack Obama is expected to be in Dallas in early August as part of a two-city Texas trip to raise money for Democratic candidates, Democratic sources said Wednesday.
The Dallas fundraiser, at a private residence, has apparently replaced plans for a presidential visit to either Houston or San Antonio. Obama is also scheduled to be in Austin on Aug. 9 for a fundraiser sponsored by the Democratic National Committee.
Three Democratic sources confirmed the Dallas leg of Obama's trip, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the details have not been officially released. The Dallas event will be sponsored by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the sources said.
The Texas swing, tentatively scheduled for Aug. 8-9, will be Obama's third trip to the Lone Star State since he took office in January 2009. Republican Gov. Rick Perry has asked for a meeting with him after he arrives in Texas to discuss concerns over border security and the administration's planned deployment of 250 National Guard troops to the border, far fewer than the 1,000 Perry requested.
Obama embarked on a campaign swing for Democratic congressional candidates this week amid concerns over his falling approval rating in the polls, anxiety over his war policy in Afghanistan and fears that his party could suffer losses in the Nov. 2 mid-term elections. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs recently angered some Democratic leaders by suggesting that Democrats could be in danger of losing control of the House of Representatives.
According to the tentative plans for Texas, Obama will headline private fundraisers and make no public appearances. Obama failed to carry the state in 2008, fares poorly in public opinion polls among Lone Star voters, and is a perennial target for political sniping by Perry and other Republicans who dominate state government.
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