U.S. President Barack Obama is telling voters in the key election battleground state of Virginia that winning there could ensure he wins the presidency over his challenger, Mitt Romney.

Virginia is among a few states that could determine the fate of Mr. Obama's bid re-election in November. He told voters at a Virginia Beach high school Friday, “when we win Virginia, we're going to have won the election.”

During the rally, President Obama hit all his main campaign themes, saying his administration created more than 4 million jobs, and is working tirelessly for the middle class, although more work remains to repair the economy.

Romney was not on the campaign trail on Friday.

Mr. Obama won Virginia in 2008 when the state went into the Democratic Party column for the first time in decades, giving him a 53 percent to 46 percent margin over his then-Republican rival, Arizona Senator John McCain.