Obama makes restricted election push

• NEW: President Obama heckled by immigration protesters in Connecticut


• Obama is scheduled to campaign Sunday in Connecticut and Pennsylvania


• He'll rally for two gubernatorial candidates, which is where he's focused his fall campaigning


• His campaign stops have been limited this cycle amid low approval ratings

Philadelphia (CNN) -- After a campaign season marked mainly by Democrats fleeing his shadow, President Barack Obama embarked upon the final push of what he calls his last campaign Sunday, hoping to mobilize voters in the few pockets of the country where he remains somewhat popular.

Obama headlined afternoon campaign rallies for Democratic gubernatorial candidates in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, capping off a cycle that saw him rally for only one Senate candidate and a handful of governors.

His diminished presence in 2014 amounted mostly to headlining high-dollar fundraisers in wealthy neighborhoods, mostly on the coasts, where he sought to motivate donors amid bleak prospects for his party in Tuesday's midterm elections.

In tight races across the country, Democrats have distanced themselves from his policies, declaring themselves independent from the White House as Republicans worked overtime to lump them into the same unpopular mold.

The President himself has fueled that effort at times, saying during an economic address in October that his "policies are on the ballot" and telling Al Sharpton during a radio interview that vulnerable Democrats are "all folks that vote with me."

Obama, whose presidential campaign drew massive crowds of young people and African-Americans in 2008 and 2012, has been working to propel those voters to the polls. Democrats have little chance of keeping control of the Senate unless traditional Democratic voting blocs turn out in force.

That was Obama's goal Sunday in Philadelphia, where he revved up a majority black crowd at a rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf.

"We've got some work to do. Because two days from now, you get to choose your future," he said, reminding the 5,500 attendees that the historic battle for the right to vote must be honored by casting ballots in midterm elections.

Obama reiterated that theme in Connecticut earlier Sunday at a rally for Gov. Dannel Malloy.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 03: U.S. President Barack Obama departs the White House October 3, 2014 in Washington, DC. Obama is scheduled to travel to Indiana for an economic event before returning to Washington later in the day. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

"Your vote matters," he told the 1,900 supporters who came to see him speak in Bridgeport. "Don't let people tell you it doesn't."

The crowd in Connecticut was largely enthusiastic about hearing from the President, but his speech was interrupted multiple times by protesters for immigration reform who carried signs with messages such as "DREAMers demand bold, broad, inclusive relief."

Each time protesters interrupted Obama, they were shouted down by the crowd. On at least one occasion, members of the crowd ripped the signs away from a group of protesters, who were ultimately escorted out by security.

The campaign effort over the weekend amounted to Obama's biggest push for Democrats this cycle. His reduced role is the outcome of record low approval ratings and policies unpopular in many parts of the country.

The restricted campaign role isn't necessarily where Obama wanted to be during the final congressional contests of his presidency, though past second-term presidents have similarly dragged down their party's candidates.

"I'm not on the ballot this time, and this is the last election cycle in which I'm involved as President," he said in Maine on Thursday. "It makes you a little wistful, because I do like campaigning. It's fun."

He was originally scheduled to campaign in Connecticut last month, but canceled shortly beforehand for meetings on his administration's Ebola response.

The president's rescheduled appearance comes at a potentially critical point for Malloy. The one-term governor is polling neck-and-neck in his re-election battle against Republican nominee Tom Foley, a former U.S. ambassador to Ireland who lost to Malloy by only 6,400 votes in 2010.

A Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday had the two men at 43% each among likely voters. A third candidate, Joseph Visconti, is polling third with 7% in the same survey, with 6% undecided.

Despite these poll numbers, Connecticut Democratic Party spokesman Ian Sams said Sunday he believes a heavy emphasis on voter turnout will bring Malloy a win on Tuesday.

"I think with President Obama coming here today, we're going to see a lot of interest from base Democratic voters," Sims told CNN. "If they come out to vote, turn out in full force, Gov. Malloy's confident he's going to win this campaign."

Connecticut is a reliably blue state, but not totally averse to GOP governors -- Malloy himself succeeded two Republicans when he took office.

In Pennsylvania, Wolf has led the GOP incumbent Tom Corbett for most of the race, and while polls have narrowed recently, he still maintains an edge.

ISIS kills hundreds in holdout tribe

• Hundreds of members of Albu Nimr tribe have been killed by ISIS


• ISIS fighters carried out public executions of tribesmen in Hit


• Group had more than 50 members abducted by ISIS Saturday


• Earlier in the week, many others had been killed

Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- They were taken from their homes, some pulled from their beds, in the middle of the night.

They were fathers, brothers and sons, members of the U.S.-allied Albu Nimr tribe -- the Sunni clan considered among the last holdouts against ISIS in Iraq's western desert.

About 50 members of the tribe were abducted in Hit in Anbar province, west of Baghdad, during the early morning hours on Saturday, Sheikh Nabil Al-Ga'oud, a tribal leader, told CNN.

Their fate is unknown. But Al-Ga'oud and others believe they are likely dead, the latest casualties of ISIS who have killed hundreds of members of the tribe in mass executions in recent days.

Fire and smoke rise from the Syrian city of Kobani following airstrikes against the ISIS militant group on Thursday, October 30. ISIS militants and Syrian Kurdish fighters have been battling for control of the city near the Turkish border, and the United States and several Arab nations have been bombing ISIS targets to take out the group's ability to command, train and resupply its fighters.

Iraqi special forces search a house in Jurf al-Sakhar, Iraq, on October 30 after retaking the area from ISIS. ISIS has been advancing in Iraq and Syria as it seeks to create an Islamic caliphate in the region.

Smoke rises during fighting in Kobani on Monday, October 27.

ISIS militants stand near the site of an airstrike near the Turkey-Syria border on Thursday, October 23.

An explosion rocks Kobani during a reported car-bomb attack by ISIS militants on Monday, October 20.

People watch Kobani from a hill near the Turkey-Syria border on October 20.

Kurdish fighters walk to positions as they fight ISIS forces in Kobani on Sunday, October 19.

A U.S. Air Force plane flies above Kobani on Saturday, October 18.

Heavy smoke rises in Kobani following an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition on Saturday, October 18.

Cundi Minaz, a female Kurdish fighter, is buried in a cemetery in the southeastern Turkish town of Suruc on Tuesday, October 14. Minaz was reportedly killed during clashes with ISIS militants in nearby Kobani.

Turkish police officers secure a basketball stadium in Suruc on October 14. Some Syrian Kurds have been held there since crossing from Syria into Turkey. Tens of thousands of people have fled Kobani, known in Arabic as Ayn al-Arab, to escape ISIS.

Kiymet Ergun, a Syrian Kurd, celebrates in Mursitpinar, Turkey, after an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition in Kobani on Monday, October 13.

Smoke rises from Kobani on Sunday, October 12.

Syrian Kurds from Kobani stand outside the grounds of a refugee camp in Suruc on Saturday, October 11.

Alleged ISIS militants stand next to an ISIS flag atop a hill in Kobani on Monday, October 6.

In this photo released by the U.S. Air Force on Saturday, October 4, a U.S. Navy jet is refueled in Iraqi airspace after conducting an airstrike against ISIS militants.

A Kurdish Peshmerga soldier who was wounded in a battle with ISIS is wheeled to the Zakho Emergency Hospital in Duhuk, Iraq, on Tuesday, September 30.

Iraqi Shiite militiamen aim their weapons during clashes with ISIS militants in Jurf al-Sakhar on Sunday, September 28.

Syrian Kurds wait near a border crossing in Suruc as they wait to return to their homes in Kobani on Sunday, September 28. Tens of thousands of people have fled Kobani, known in Arabic as Ayn al-Arab, to escape ISIS.

Syrian Kurds wait behind border fences to cross into Suruc on September 28.

Tomahawk missiles, intended for ISIS targets in Syria, fly above the Persian Gulf after being fired by the USS Philippine Sea in this image released by the U.S. Navy on Tuesday, September 23.

Turkish Kurds clash with Turkish security forces during a protest near Suruc on Monday, September 22. According to Time magazine, the protests were over Turkey's temporary decision to close the border with Syria.

Syrian Kurds fleeing ISIS militants wait behind a fence in Suruc on Sunday, September 21.

A elderly man is carried after crossing the Syria-Turkey border near Suruc on Saturday, September 20.

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter launches mortar shells toward ISIS militants in Zumar, Iraq, on Monday, September 15.

An ISIS flag flies on the other side of a bridge at the front line of fighting between ISIS and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in Rashad, Iraq, on Thursday, September 11.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reads on a flight en route to Iraq on Wednesday, September 10. Kerry traveled to the Mideast to discuss ways to bolster the stability of the new Iraqi government and combat ISIS.

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire at ISIS militant positions from their position on the top of Mount Zardak, east of Mosul, Iraq, on Tuesday, September 9.

An Iraqi fighter jet flies over Amerli, Iraq, on September 3. Amerli had been under siege by ISIS militants.

Iraqi volunteer fighters celebrate breaking the Amerli siege on Monday, September 1. ISIS militants had surrounded Amerli, 70 miles north of Baquba, Iraq, since mid-June.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces stand guard at their position in the Omar Khaled village west of Mosul on Sunday, August 24.

Kurdish Peshmergas fight to regain control of the town of Celavle, in Iraq's Diyala province, on August 24.

Peshmerga fighters stand guard at Mosul Dam in northern Iraq on Thursday, August 21. With the help of U.S. military airstrikes, Kurdish and Iraqi forces retook the dam from ISIS militants on August 18. A breach of the dam would have been catastrophic for millions of Iraqis who live downstream from it.

Displaced Iraqis receive clothes from a charity at a refugee camp near Feeshkhabour, Iraq, on Tuesday, August 19.

A fighter with Kurdish Peshmerga forces battles ISIS militants near Mosul on Monday, August 18.

Peshmerga fighters inspect the remains of a car that reportedly belonged to ISIS militants and was targeted by a U.S. airstrike in the village of Baqufa, north of Mosul, on August 18.

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire at ISIS in Khazair, Iraq, on Thursday, August 14.

Volunteers of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society unload boxes of goods before distributing them August 14 to families who fled from ISIS.

From the flight deck of the USS George H.W. Bush, which is in the Persian Gulf, two U.S. fighter jets take off for a mission in Iraq on Monday, August 11. U.S. President Barack Obama authorized airstrikes against Islamic militants and food drops for Iraqis who are trapped by the militants.

Aziza Hamid, a 15-year-old Iraqi girl, cries for her father while she and some other Yazidi people are flown to safety Monday, August 11, after a dramatic rescue operation at Iraq's Mount Sinjar. A CNN crew was on the flight, which took diapers, milk, water and food to the site where as many as 70,000 people were trapped by ISIS. But only a few of them were able to fly back on the helicopter with the Iraqi Air Force and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

Thousands of Yazidis are escorted to safety by Kurdish Peshmerga forces and a People's Protection Unit in Mosul on Saturday, August 9.

Iraqi Shiite volunteers who have joined government forces to fight ISIS take part in a training session near Basra, Iraq, on Thursday, August 7.

Thousands of Yazidi and Christian people flee Mosul on Wednesday, August 6, after the latest wave of ISIS advances.

A Baiji oil refinery burns after an alleged ISIS attack in northern Selahaddin, Iraq, on Thursday, July 31.

A Syrian rebel fighter lies on a stretcher at a makeshift hospital in Douma, Syria, on Wednesday, July 9. He was reportedly injured while fighting ISIS militants.

Iraqis who fled fighting in the cities of Mosul and Tal Afar try to enter a temporary displacement camp in Khazair on Wednesday, July 2.

Peshmerga fighters check cars at the entrance of a temporary displacement camp in Khazair on Thursday, June 26.

Kurdish Peshmerga take their positions behind a wall on the front line of the conflict with ISIS militants in Tuz Khormato, Iraq, on Wednesday, June 25.

Peshmerga fighters clean their weapons at a base in Tuz Khormato on June 25.

New army recruits gather in Najaf, Iraq, on Wednesday, June 18, following a call for Iraqis to take up arms against Islamic militant fighters.

An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter lands on the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, June 17.

Newly recruited Iraqi volunteer fighters take part in a training session in Karbala, Iraq, on June 17.

Members of ISIS prepare to execute soldiers from Iraq's security forces in this image, one of many reportedly posted by the militant group online. CNN cannot independently confirm the authenticity of the images.

Iraqi men chant slogans outside of an army recruiting center to volunteer for military service Thursday, June 12, in Baghdad.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces, along with Iraqi special forces, deploy their troops and armored vehicles outside of Kirkuk, Iraq, on June 12.

Children stand next to a burnt vehicle during clashes between Iraqi security forces and ISIS militants in Mosul on Tuesday, June 10.

Civilians from Mosul escape to a refugee camp near Irbil, Iraq, on June 10.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

Photos: The ISIS terror threat

U.S. advisers may join fight against ISIS

ISIS executes 45 prisoners

The Albu Nimr, who number in the tens of thousands, are ready to fight to take back Hit, Al-Ga'oud said. The city was seized last month by ISIS fighters after weeks of fighting the tribesmen.

Hit and neighboring Ramadi were holdouts in the Sunni-dominated Anbar province after ISIS swept in from Syria, taking town after town in the western province. Albu Nimr tribesmen were among those who fought them until they began running of out weapons and supplies.

Tribal leader says fighters ready to strike ISIS

Albu Nimr has a strong force ready to attack Hit, but they need to get the final OKs from the government and also try to coordinate with the Americans, Al-Ga'oud said.

Anbar was the scene of a bloody insurgency during the U.S.-led war in Iraq until an uprising by Sunni tribes, including Albu Nimr, in 2006 took on al Qaeda in Iraq -- the forerunner to ISIS, also known as ISIL.

U.S. officials maintain that Iraqi support for Sunni tribes going on the offensive against ISIS will be a necessary part in the effort to defeat the militants, who refer to themselves as the Islamic State.

In a news conference this week, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, signaled the possibility of the new role when he said the Iraqi government had not yet requested U.S. military support in efforts to defend a Sunni tribe that has suffered mass executions at the hands of ISIS militants.

"That's why we need to expand the train-advise-and-assist mission into the ... Anbar Province," Dempsey said. "But the precondition for that is that the government of Iraq is willing to arm the tribes."

Dempsey said the United States had "positive indications" the Iraqi government was prepared to do that but had not yet acted.

There is no indication from Pentagon officials on when such a mission could begin.

Public executions, mass graves

The abduction and suspected killings follow reports this week of public executions and the discovery of mass graves containing the bodies of tribesmen killed by ISIS.

The bodies of an estimated 200 members of Albu Nimr were found in a mass grave just outside Hit, a senior Iraqi security official told CNN. The tribesmen were captured by ISIS fighters after it took control of the area, the official said.

Another 48 tribesmen were marched through the streets of Hit before they were publicly executed, the official said.

And a mass grave was found in nearby Ramadi, according to Iraqi media accounts. Video of those executions had been uploaded to the Internet.

U.S. to send advisers to Anbar province

ISIS putting U.S. allies 'against a wall'

"We are deeply concerned by reports of mass executions of Sunni tribesmen in Anbar province by ISIL and strongly condemn the brutal actions that ISIL continues to perpetrate against the Iraqi people," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

"...ISIL's indiscriminate crimes prove, yet again, that it is targeting all Iraqis, regardless of faith or region."

Albu Nimr fights back

Albu Nimr is known for its fighting skill and resistance.

A 2003 Brookings Institution report observed that, though most Iraqi Sunni tribes were loyal to Saddam Hussein in the days when he ran the country, the Albu Nimr tribe had mounted a protest against the former Iraqi strongman in 1995 after the execution of a noted member. The protest was put down by paramilitary forces loyal to Saddam.

In general, however, Saddam respected the Albu Nimr.

Since Saddam's fall, they've been tapped to oppose al Qaeda in Iraq. They were also part of last year's Sunni uprising against the former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his Shiite-dominated government.

They have been fighting ISIS but say they haven't received much support from the Iraqi government and international coalition members.

CNN's Odai Sadik reported from Baghdad, and Chelsea J. Carter and Todd Leopold reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq, Hamdi Alkhshali and Jim Sciutto contributed to this report.