DNC chairman to speak in Toledo

Debbie Wasserman Schultz ASSOCIATED PRESS Enlarge

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is scheduled to be the guest speaker on Monday of a fund-raiser for the re-election of President Barack Obama.

The fund-raising event is set for noon at the Toledo Club.

Former Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, one of three Lucas County co-chairs of the Obama fund-raising campaign, said Ms. Wasserman Schultz is one of the hottest names in Democratic politics right now because of her eloquence, leadership of the national Democratic Party, and friendship with former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D., Ariz.).

Ms. Wasserman Schultz, a congressman from the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas of Florida, assisted Ms. Giffords when she returned to the House of Representatives on Jan. 25, just over a year after being shot and wounded in a mass shooting outside an Arizona shopping center, and read her letter of resignation in an emotional ceremony.

“We want to bring vitality and energy to the Obama campaign in the early part of the year as the grassroots campaign is doing out of Columbus,” Mr. Finkbeiner said.

He said the ticket prices range from $250 to $1,000 and they’re hoping for about 100 guests.

A member of Congress since 2005, Ms. Wasserman Schultz became chairman last May after President Obama designated her as his choice for the job.