President Barack Obama sought Saturday night to recapture the enthusiasm that propelled him to the White House, imploring voters in a hometown rally to overcome forecasts of a Republican wave of victories that would end the Democrats’ one-party control of Washington.

” Chicago, I need you to keep on fighting. Illinois, I need you to keep on believing,” Obama said to thousands who crowded onto the Midway Plaisance at the University of Chicago.

“If you’re willing to step up, if you’re willing to try … we will restore our economy. We will rebuild the middle class and we will reclaim the American dream for another generation and generations to come.”

Obama’s Chicago visit was his third stop in a weekend-long string of four pre- Election Day rallies that symbolize White House concerns that Republicans are poised to take back the U.S. House and threaten the Democrats’ grip on the Senate.

The president urged voters “just like you did in 2008” to defy conventional wisdom, “the kind that says you can’t overcome cynicism in politics, you can’t overcome the special interests, you can’t overcome the big money, you can’t overcome the negativity, you can’t overcome the big challenges anymore.”

“In three days, you’ve got the chance to once again say what?” he asked as the crowd responded with the signature phrase of his 2008 presidential campaign: “Yes we can.”

“Look, I can’t think of anything better than being with the hometown crowd that is fired up. Plus, I’m going to sleep in my own bed tonight,” said Obama, who dined with friends at Topolobampo, a Mexican restaurant in River North before heading to his house. His final weekend rally is scheduled for Sunday in Cleveland.

Obama’s trip home was aimed at mobilizing support for candidates on the statewide Democratic ticket. Of particular concern to the White House is Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias. He’s in a tight race with North Shore Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk for a symbolic trophy — Obama’s former Senate seat.

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(Read More: Chicago Tribune)