President Obama to return to Seattle in May

President Obama is headed back to the Puget Sound area in
May for campaign fundraising.

The White House told the
state’s Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday the president will
make stops in Los Angeles and Seattle on May 10. Obama
will reportedly be eating at a $40,000-a-person
fundraising dinner at the home of George Clooney that
night.

President Obama was last in town Feb. 17 for a tour of
Boeing’s 787 at Paine Field and two luncheons on the
Eastside.

The president spent Tuesday campaigning in Florida where
he
pushed a new plan by Democrats to increase taxes on
millionaires.

“We’ve got to choose which direction we want this country
to
go,” Obama told a boisterous audience of students at
Florida
Atlantic University. “Do we want to keep giving tax breaks
to folks like me who don’t need them? …. Or do we want
to
keep investing in those things that keep our economy
growing
and keep us secure?”

Mitt Romney, who opposes the plan, has faced withering
criticism from Democrats who try to paint him as a
ruthless financier who has paid lower tax rates
unavailable to typical middle class families.

On the other hand, Romney’s team contends Obama’s plan
would raise taxes on small businesses, harming an engine
of growth and job creation at a time when the economy
needs it the most.

Meanwhile, Rick Santorum quit the presidential race on
Tuesday, clearing the way for Mitt Romney to claim the
Republican nomination.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.