Dec. 29 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama plans to visit Cleveland, Ohio, on Jan. 4, the day after Iowa Republicans hold the country’s first contest for their party’s 2012 presidential nomination.

Obama will make the economy the focus of his remarks, according to White House spokesman Josh Earnest. Democrat Obama won Ohio in the 2008 election. It is the home state of Republican House Speaker John Boehner and no Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio.

Ohio has picked the winner in every election since 1960, when Republican Richard Nixon won Ohio and lost the national election to Democrat John F. Kennedy.

--With assistance from Kristin Jensen in Washington. Editors: Mark Silva, Ann Hughey.

To contact the reporter on this story: Hans Nichols in Honolulu, Hawaii at hnichols2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net.