WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is getting ready to deliver an election-year State of the Union address heavy on economic themes when he addresses a joint session of Congress and millions of television viewers.

Obama's annual speech at 9 p.m. comes in the midst of an already heated re-election campaign as Republicans Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney fight for his job. Polls show Americans preoccupied with the economy and that's where Obama will focus when he takes the podium.

Obama will make an argument tonight for economic fairness for the middle class and argue that he's the one to deliver it. He'll talk about manufacturing, education, clean energy and American values.