Bam expected back in the Big Apple to fundraise

President Barack Obama appears to be banking on the Big Apple to fund his 2012 re-election bid.

Obama will be back in town on June 23 to speak at a fundraiser with big-money financial execs and then attend a separate gala for the gay community, according to a Politico.com post Tuesday.

The president has made Manhattan a routine fundraising stop this spring by visiting three times in a one-month period, including a trip to Harlem for a $30,800-per-plate dinner. He’s raised more than $3.5 million in his trips to Gotham so far, according to published reports.

New York is packed with well-heeled donors who can help Obama raise the $1 billion goal for his campaign, said Ken Sherrill, a political science professor at Hunter College.

“I think he’ll be a regular guest in the city up until the 2012 election,” Sherrill said.

He added that the high cost of campaigning might be one factor in why some Republicans are reluctant to come forward to challenge Obama.