Watch: Obama gets a rise out of a supporter

Pizza parlor owner in Florida with 'big heart and big pecs' gives campaigning president a bear hug

Associated Press |Published: 09.10.12 , 11:57

President Barack Obama was looking for a lift ahead of the presidential election, he got one this weekend on two fronts, first from an enthusiastic Republican and then from the latest campaign finance figures.

In Florida on Sunday, Scott van Duzer, a 46-year-old, 1.9 meter tall (6ft 3in) man gave Obama a bear hug, raising him off the ground as Obama marveled at the man's strength.

Van Duzer owns the Big Apple Pizza and Pasta Italian restaurant where Obama stopped during a Florida bus swing. He also runs a foundation that helps collect blood for the ill and has received White House commendations for his work.

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As he entered, Obama admired Van Duzer's physique: "The guy's just got a big heart, along with big pecs."

Of his embrace, Van Duzer said: "I was overwhelmed when I saw him." Despite being a registered Republican, Van Duzer said he voted for Obama in 2008 and said he would do so again later this year.

Meanwhile, the president's campaign and its Democratic partners raised more than $114m (£71m) in August, narrowly beating his Republican rival, Mitt Romney, for the first time in months as the race for the White House approaches its final stretch. Romney's campaign reported that it raised $111m in August.

Obama is reversing a three-month trend at the time he needs it most, having spent heavily on advertising over the summer in an attempt to keep Romney at bay.

Both candidates are claiming momentum coming out of their national conventions over the past two weeks.