Obama turns to space hero for radio ad

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - President Barack Obama's re-election campaign has enlisted astronaut and former Senator John Glenn to reach out to rural voters in Glenn's native Ohio.

In statewide radio ads that began airing Wednesday, the 91-year-old Glenn talks of how his dreams began in small-town Ohio where "family, church, and country came first." He notes his support for the president's goals in research and education.

Glenn's appeal is targeted to reach Ohio's largely white rural population, a demographic that has proven key to winning the closely divided battleground state in recent presidential elections.

A University of Cincinnati Ohio Poll released last month showed Obama slightly ahead of Republican rival Mitt Romney, but running behind in every region of the state except the populous and largely Democratic northeast.