Obama returning for Giannoulias fundraiser

The President will travel to Chicago to headline an Aug. 5 fundraiser for the Democratic candidate vying for his old Senate seat, Alexi Giannoulias' campaign announced Sunday.

No details about the event are being released at this time, spokeswoman Kathleen Strand said.

In a statement, campaign officials noted that the Barack Obama's appearance would "reinforce the clear choice Illinois voters face" in the November election.

Giannoulias and six-term Congressman Mark Kirk, a Highland Park Republican, are locked in a tight race for the seat now held by Roland Burris.

Both campaigns have hit rough patches in recent weeks - Giannoulias over the April collapse of his family's Chicago Bank, and Kirk over his military record.

Campaign finance reports, filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission, showed an increasing gap between the candidates' war chests.

Kirk raised $2.3 million in the second quarter from April through the end of June and now has nearly $4 million in cash on hand. Giannoulias brought in $900,000 and has $1 million on hand.

Several members of Obama's administration, including Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, have already come out in support of Giannoulias.