First Lady Michelle Obama rallied a crowd of supporters Tuesday to vote early and to prepare for a hard fought campaign to kick off Ohio’s month of early voting.

“This journey is going to be hard,” Obama told an estimated crowd of 6,800 at the Duke Energy Convention Center. “There going to be plenty of ups and down for the rest of the way, you can count on that…I want you to remember that what we do for the next 35 days will make the difference between waking up on November 7 and wondering ‘Could I have done more?’ or feeling the promise of four more years.”

Obama touted her husband’s policies regarding rebuilding the struggling economy, health care and making education more affordable and accessible to young people and his ability to make tough, sometimes unpopular decisions that he believed were right.

“I have seen how the issues that come across a president’s desk are always the hard ones,” Obama said. ” I’ve seen how important it is to have a president who doesn’t just tell us what we want to hear but tells us the truth. I’ve seen that when it comes time to make those tough calls, as president you have to be driven by the struggles, hopes and dreams of all that you serve…. Since the day he took office, on issue after issue, crisis after crisis, that’s what we’ve seen in my husband.”

Governor Mitt Romney’s campaign also rallied supporters to vote early, launching a “Commit to Mitt Early Vote Express” statewide bus tour from Cincinnati.

Obama said both she and her husband had come from hard working families and been inspired by parents and grandparents who put in extra work to make sure their children had greater opportunities than the previous generations had been afforded.

“We learned that no one gets where they are on their own. Every single one of us have a community lifting us up, from the teachers that inspire us to the janitors who keep our schools clean. We learned to value everyone’s contribution and treat everyone with respect,” Obama said.

Obama rallied supporters to vote early and to get others out to vote as well, noting Ohio’s role as a key battleground state.’

“As close as the last election was, this one will be closer, we know that,” Obama said. She noted that her husband had carried the state in 2008 by an average of just 24 votes per precinct.

“Change takes patience, time and tenacity,” Obama said. “In America, we always get there…Elections are always about hope. The hope I saw on my father’s face when I crossed that stage to get my diploma. We cannot turn back now. We have come so far. But we have so much work to do. “

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, mired in his own race against Republican candidate Josh Mandel, appeared at the rally. Brown said that more money was being spent against him than in any other Senate race in the country and was coming from outside interest groups who opposed his actions in the Senate.

“My opponent called me un-American for supporting the auto rescue. But because we did that, it’s putting people in manufacturing back to work,” Brown said. “I know that I would rather have you on my side than I would Exxon on my side.”

Mable Alexander, of Mason, said she came to the speech to show her appreciation for the Obamas.

“They are smart and compassionate and support the working people and poor people,” Alexander said. “They want America to be a better place.”

“Mrs. Obama is about healthy choices for children in schools and she believes in elevating everyone through education,” said Barbara Davenport of Mason.

“She supports her husband in his passion for providing health care for everyone and improving our economy,” Davenport said. “I find her inspiring because she doesn’t just talk but acts and follows up on her words to try and make our country a better place.”

Davenport said she planned to take advantage of early voting and would also be working the polls on Election Day.