President Obama will speak to students at USC on Friday. (Creative Commons)

President Obama's week-long blitz comes to L.A. Friday. The president, who has been making his way down the West Coast, has high hopes of picking up Democratic voters along the way.

The president started Thursday in Seattle, was in San Francisco by Thursday night, and by Friday afternoon will be at the University of Southern California to lead a rally for the Democratic National Committee.

University officials are expecting as many as 30,000 at USC’s Alumni Park on Friday. The event opens at 11 a.m., and the President will speak at approximately 1:55 p.m. Visitors should come early, as the President’s arrival is going to wreak havoc with traffic patterns.

The rally at USC is just one of a number of appeals the President has made to reinvigorate younger voters, who carried him to victory in 2008. Obama recently hosted a town hall discussion on MTV and he has traveled to a number of universities, including Ohio State University.

He spoke to a large crowd at the University of Washington on Thursday and urged students to vote for Sen. Patty Murray.

Obama began his speech by thanking young voters and said that the 2008 election was a reminder that the American dream is still alive.  He said little about the issues, but focused on imploring students to vote.

“If you have not voted yet, you’ve got to get that ballot and put it in the mail,” the President said. “Don't delay.  Do it right after this rally. You’ve got to then talk to your friends.  You’ve got to talk to your neighbors.  You’ve got to make phone calls.  You’ve got to knock on doors.  You have to make sure that you are as fired up and as excited now as you were two years ago - because the work is not yet done.”

Obama may be right to try to focus on younger voters. Polls show that the President is losing support among those who once voted for him, and young people in particular are lacking enthusiasm. 

For California Democrats, Obama’s message – that people need to vote – is especially important. The Democrats have very narrow leads in the latest polls in both the Senate and gubernatorial races, but experts say the races could swing Republican depending on who goes to the polls.

Obama should be well received in California, experts say. His job ratings in the state are higher than most anywhere else.