Image credit: Elise Amendola/AP Photo

Cue the familiar music, the chanting crowd and the "Yes, We Can" campaign slogan.

No, you're not having flashbacks.

Seven months after winning re-election, President Obama is back on the campaign trail today. This time, he's lending his political prowess to stump for Senate hopeful Rep. Ed Markey.

"Ed has a track record, and that's why you know what he's going to do when he's a senator from the commonwealth of Massachusetts," Obama said in his campaign cadence at a rally in Roxbury Crossing, Mass. "He's not somebody who comes out of nowhere and says he's for something, and then maybe he's for something else.

"He's been steady, and he's been constant, working on your behalf. He's been strong, and he's been principled. And that's the kind of leader we need right now," the president added.

Markey, 66, is running against private equity executive and political newcomer Gabriel Gomez, 47, in the special election to fill the seat left vacant by Secretary of State John Kerry, a race that is critical for both parties as they try to claim the traditionally Democratic-leaning state.

"I need folks in the United States Senate who every day are waking up thinking about the people who sent them there and trying to figure out, 'How do I make sure that they are getting a brighter future?' That's who Ed Markey is. I need Ed Markey in the United States Senate," Obama said to applause.

"We've got a whole lot of Democrats in this state, and a whole lot of Obama voters," Obama said, his shirt sleeves rolled up. "But you can't just turn out during a presidential election. You've got to turn out in this election."

Before the rally, the president and Markey made time for some retail politics, making a surprise stop for lunch at Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe, "where hash rules," in Boston's south end.

After shaking hands and posing for pictures, the president urged diners to get to the polls and send Markey to the Senate. "This guy has been fighting for Massachusetts for a very long time," he said.

"It seems like there's an election every other week, but this one's important," he added. "You guys remember to vote, now."