ROCHESTER – President Barack Obama told supporters Saturday he wants to help restore the American Dream to the middle class and continue to keep the country on the right track.

About 3,800 people – from as close as across the street and as far away as Anchorage, Alaska – came to hear the president speak at the Rochester Commons, according to an estimate by Assistant Fire Chief Mark Dupuis.

While Kelly Gagnon, 15, of Middleton, doesn't agree with all of Obama's policies, she thought it was cool to have a chance to see the president, even if she won't be able to vote for another few years.

Gagnon said her little brother, Nickolas, 11, is very interested in politics and "loves presidents"

Despite his interest, Nickolas remains undecided in this election, but was happy he could take a lot of pictures during the first time he saw the president speak.

"It would be way cool to shake hands with him," Nickolas said.

While Liv Forcey-Rodriguez, 10, of Durham, didn't understand all the issues the president brought up, she knew it was important to hear them.

"I'm really excited because I want to get a job when I grow up," she said, adding she would even try to become vice-president if she could.

Although she came to see her grandchildren, Laurie Fleischer, of Anchorage, said she was delighted to have the opportunity to see the president, especially since he may not make it up to Alaska soon.

Zoe Siegel, 9, and Emma Pazar, 9, next-door neighbors from Yarmouth, Maine, were unable to get to the rally in time, but were excited to have the president specifically wave to them as he left the Commons.

Debbie Bodell, a team leader with the Dover Democratic Party, helped welcome the president to the state again.

"President Obama is moving this country forward," Bodell said, adding she's working hard to convince undecided voters to support Obama this November.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said she supports Obama's efforts to restore middle-class prosperity, which has been slipping away in the past few decades.

"There's more work to do, but we're on the road back," Shaheen said, stressing the need to support small businesses in the state which make up 95 percent of the employers.

"Here in Rochester, we have a real success story with Albany Engineering," Shaheen said, adding the company brought 400 new, highly skilled job openings to the area and partnered with the University of New Hampshire to help train the future workforce.

Obama later encouraged people to "bet on American workers" and give tax breaks to companies that invest in the country, rather than send jobs overseas.

"The choice we face in November could be a big one," Obama said, stressing the differences between his plan and the ideas of his opponent Republican Mitt Romney.

While Republicans want to turn Medicare into a voucher system, Obama said he plans to strengthen the program, which will extend it for another decade.

"My plan saves money in Medicare by cracking down on fraud and waste and to make insurance companies do what they're supposed to do," Obama said.

Obama said the election will help decide the future of the country. He added the recovery process will take more than one term, but will allow people to have jobs, homes, health care and the ability to send their children to college.

"You can make it if you try," Obama said, adding his presidency is all about "making sure hard work is rewarded."

Unlike his opponent, Obama said he plans to ask people who earn more than $250,000 a year to pay "a little extra" to help reduce the deficit which has increased following a decade of war and nation building in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama said this is part of his plan to bolster the middle class, which will allow people to purchase new cars or computers. In turn, he added, this will help businesses prosper and hire more employees.

"When everyone's doing well, we'll all prosper," Obama said, adding the government needs to continue doing its part by cutting spending – on top of the trillion dollars already cut from the budget.

Since the troops are out of Iraq and the mission in Afghanistan is "transitioning," Obama said more money can be used to do a little "nation building" in America.

Obama said he continues to be inspired by American families who know how to struggle to overcome obstacles.

"We know what it's like to have hard times, but we know what it's like to have hope," Obama said.

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John Quinn may be reached at jquinn@newstote.com.