President Barack Obama returns to Chicago next month for pre-Illinois primary fundraising.
And he's not the only one. A key Republican source said GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney also will make an Illinois swing.
Romney will spend Monday, March 19, in the Peoria area where supporter Congressman Aaron Schock will be the host, NBCChicago has learned. On election night in Illinois, Romney will host his primary night viewing party in the western suburbs.
Part of Obama's March 16 trip includes a swanky lunch at the Palmer House Hilton, according to Sun-Times columnist Lynn Sweet.
Tickets for the event range from $2,500 for lunch to $35,800 "to be a lunch chair," Sweet says. Those who pay $10,000 get preferred seating, according to an invite, and $25,000 tickets get a campaign discussion to boot.
The raised cash will be used for the Democratic National Committee and Obama's Chicago-based 2012 campaign headquarters.
Obama was in Chicago back in January for two fundraising dinners, a concert at the UIC Forum featuring Hill Harper and Janelle Monae, and a surprise stop to his headquarters across from Millennium Park.
During the January trip Obama positioned himself as anti-Romney, telling supporters the upcoming election presents voters with a clear choice on where they want to take the country.
His latest trip comes days before the March 20 primary.
