Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama opened this year's congressional election season with a State of the Union message centered on economic inequalities, a theme harder to sustain in scattered House and Senate contests.

Mapping out his goals to assist those struggling amid a broader recovery, the president in last night's address called for extending unemployment benefits, an increase in the minimum wage to $10.10 from $7.25, a new retirement savings program, and more affordable college education.

"Corporate profits and stock prices have rarely been higher, and those at the top have never done better," Obama said. "But average wages have barely budged. Inequality has deepened. Upward mobility has stalled. The cold, hard fact is that even in the midst of recovery, too many Americans are working more than ever just to get by –- let alone get ahead. And too many still aren't working at all."