ABC News

DAVENPORT, Iowa - President Obama kicked off a two-day campaign sprint through eight battleground states starting with Iowa, the state where his historic first bid for the presidency began.

"This is the first stop on our 48-hour fly-around campaign marathon extravaganza. We're going to pull an all-nighter - no sleep," Obama told a crowd of 3,500 gathered under cloudy skies at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds.

"We're starting here in Iowa. We're going to Colorado, then we're going to go Nevada, then we're going to Florida, Virginia, Ohio. I am going to stop in Chicago to vote. We've got early vote in Illinois just like we've got early vote here in Iowa," he said.

See Full Infographic of Post-Debate Travels Here

"But I had to start in Iowa to ask you for your vote, to ask you for your support so we can finish what we've started because this is where it all began four years ago," he said. "On your front porches, in your backyards - this is where the movement for change began. And Iowa, you will once again choose the path that we take from here."

Obama's victory in the 2008 Iowa Caucuses helped propel him to clinch the Democratic nomination. He also carried the state in his general election bid for the White House.

Obama heads next to Denver for a rally, then on to Los Angeles for a taping of the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and a late-night rally in Las Vegas, featuring a performance by singer Katy Perry. He flies overnight - sleeping aboard Air Force One - from Nevada to Florida, continuing Thursday morning with a rally in Tampa.

The president will log more than 4,500 flight miles today and overnight. He will visit eight states before returning to the White House late Thursday night.

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