What impact will Obama have on re-elections?

CHICAGO (WLS) -- President Barack Obama participated in two Chicago fundraising events for Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin.

"The president is widely respected in our state and certainly in the city of Chicago and his support means a lot," Durbin said.

Durbin and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn are up for re-election in November. Mayor Rahm Emanuel will run for a second term next February. All three democrats have been officially or unofficially endorsed by Obama in past campaigns.

However, Republican U.S. Senator Mark Kirk notes the lame duck president's low approval ratings.

"An off-year election is always about how do you think the country is doing, how do you think the president is doing. If you want to register your dissent you vote against the President's party," Kirk said.

Illinois Democrats hope the first African-American president will help shore up the party's traditionally strong support in predominantly black neighborhoods where crime and unemployment rates are highest. On Thursday, the Reverend Corey Brooks said he'll support Republican Jim Oberweis instead of Democrat Durbin.

"I will always respect the president, he's my president, but on the matter of who I'm going to support I stand as my own man," Brooks said.

"To assume that any group is going to vote lock-step for any one candidate is just plain wrong," Durbin said.

Durbin said he isn't worried about losing voters in any group and believes his support for raising the minimum wage and job training programs will win his race in November.

"I am going to appeal to all the voters across the board, black white and brown, and hope they'll give the honor of re-election," Durbin said.