Obama votes early in Illinois

President Obama, eager to convince wary Democrats to cast early ballots ahead of next month’s midterm elections, led by example on Monday with a stop at his polling spot on the South Side of Chicago.

{mosads}“I’m so glad I can early vote,” Obama said. “”I love voting. Everybody in Illinois, early vote. It’s a wonderful opportunity.”

Obama, sensitive to electioneering laws, wouldn’t tell reporters gathered at the Martin Luther King Community Service Center in Kenwood for whom he voted. But the president wasn’t as coy during a rally for incumbent Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) Sunday night.

“First thing I’m going to do [Monday] is cast my vote to reelect [Sen.] Dick Durbin and give my friend Pat Quinn four more years as governor of the great state of Illinois,” he said.

Obama did say while he was casting his ballot that “this is the most important office of democracy — the office of citizenry.”

Monday is the first day of early voting in Illinois.

The president also cast an early ballot in October. 2012, as his presidential campaign sought to bank an insurmountable lead over Republican Mitt Romney. The efforts paid off, with the president carrying swing states like Ohio, where significant numbers of Democrats turned out early to the polls.

But that task is far more difficult this cycle, with polls showing Democratic voters far less enthusiastic about this midterm election. According to a Gallup poll released earlier this month, 40 percent of Republicans have given some thought to the election, versus 28 percent of Democrats.

Some 44 percent of Republicans say they’re motivated to vote — a 19-percentage-point advantage over Democrats — while the GOP holds an 18-point lead among voters who are enthusiastic about voting.

Much of Democrats’ problems lie in the president’s steadily declining approval ratings, which have essentially sidelined Obama in the midterm elections. Sunday marked his first public campaign events of the cycle, although both rallies he attended were for gubernatorial rather than congressional candidates.

After casting his ballot, Obama brought donuts and pastries to Quinn’s campaign office in downtown Chicago.

While there, Obama again urged his party faithful to turn out to vote.

“The way we win any election is making sure we turn out,” Obama said.

Later, he’ll attend a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee before returning to Washington.

–This report was originally published at 8:06 a.m. and last updated at 1:11 p.m.