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Obama heads off to raise money on the West Coast

President Barack Obama speaks about the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, at the Walker Jones Education Campus in Washington, Monday, July 21, 2014. President Obama announced that leaders of 60 of the largest school systems have pledged to expand minority boys' access to better preschools and advanced classes and to try to prevent grade retention, suspensions and expulsions. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
President Barack Obama speaks about the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, at the Walker Jones Education Campus in Washington, Monday, July 21, 2014. President Obama announced that leaders of 60 of the largest school systems have pledged to expand minority boys' access to better preschools and advanced classes and to try to prevent grade retention, suspensions and expulsions. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) President Barack Obama speaks about the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, at the Walker Jones Education Campus in Washington, Monday, July 21, 2014. President Obama announced that leaders of 60 of the largest school systems have pledged to expand minority boys' access to better preschools and advanced classes and to try to prevent grade retention, suspensions and expulsions. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

By Associated Press 3 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Amid a swirl of foreign and border challenges, President Barack Obama is embarking on the one mission that has regularly proved a winner for him – raising money for his fellow Democrats.

Obama on Tuesday was starting a three-day West Coast trip, scheduled to attend at least five fundraising events in Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles less than four months ahead of midterm elections that could change Washington’s balance of power.

The trip comes as Obama is dealing with a series of high-profile tests of his presidency, from Eastern Europe to the Middle East to the Southern U.S. border. The downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine last week, the eruption of war in Gaza between Israelis and Palestinians, and the humanitarian crisis caused by the influx of Central American minors seeking to cross the border has put a strain on the White House.

But on the fundraising trail Obama remains a potent draw among the Democratic Party’s wealthy donors, who pay up to $32,400 to be in intimate settings with the president.

The fundraising highlight of the trip will be a Democratic National Committee event Wednesday at the Beverly Hills home of Shonda Rhimes, the producer of the ABC series “Scandal,” a drama set in modern-day Washington. Kerry Washington, who plays the lead role in the show, is among the hosts.