Bill Clinton Stars In New Obama Ad: 'This Is A Clear Choice'

WASHINGTON -- Former President Bill Clinton stars in the Obama campaign's latest TV ad, telling viewers that President Barack Obama is the man who can continue policies of building a "strong middle class."

The ad focuses on the economy, with Clinton recalling the prosperity during his presidency and saying Obama's policies are needed to rebuild America.

"This election, to me, is about which candidate is more likely to return us to full employment. This is a clear choice," says Clinton in the ad. "The Republican plan is to cut more taxes on upper-income people and go back to deregulation. That's what got us in trouble in the first place."

"President Obama has a plan to rebuild America from the ground-up -- investing in innovation, education and job training. It only works if there is a strong middle class," Clinton adds. "That's what happened when I was president. We need to keep going with his plan."

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The new ad will air in New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada.

Clinton is one of Obama's most powerful surrogates. The Romney campaign has tried to pit him against the president, most recently with the claim that Obama was trying to gut the 1996 welfare reform legislation that Clinton signed into law. Clinton forcefully responded, saying the Romney campaign's claims were "not true."

Additionally, when Clinton defended Mitt Romney's time at Bain Capital, the former Massachusetts governor made sure to thank Clinton during a CNBC interview.

Clinton will have a key role at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., where he will deliver a prime-time speech making an economic case for why Obama deserves a second term.