President Obama will visit Elkhart for a third time

ELKHART, Ind. (WISH) – Barack Obama will be in Elkhart next week. He will conduct a town hall meeting and deliver a speech at Concord High School.

The President believes that what’s happened in Elkhart is a good example of how his policies have worked.

He first came to Elkhart just three weeks after he became President. That trip was meant to highlight the effects of the recession.

The unemployment rate in Elkhart was almost 20 percent at the time, almost double the national average.

He came back to Elkhart County six months later to visit a bankrupt RV factory. It was being turned into a factory for electric cars with the help of federal stimulus money.

He’s coming back now to highlight an unemployment rate of just over four percent. That’s lower than the national average.

In a satellite interview 24-Hour News 8 asked White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest if Elkhart is the best example of economic recovery in the country. He said, “When you consider the statistics, it’s hard to think of a better example.”

Governor Mike Pence is running campaign ads taking credit for the recovery and Earnest said he’s not surprised that a lot of politicians are eager to do so.

“The truth is the President’s been clear from the beginning,” he said, “that the private sector, our workers and business owners are the ones who deserve the credit.”

“And that success was strengthened,” he said, “by the policies that this President implemented.”

In an email explaining the visit the President said he will highlight economic progress but also discuss challenges that remain.

The town hall meeting he has planned will include Elkhart residents and will be broadcast on PBS.

It’s all about establishing his legacy.