Mitt Romney's campaign team was to spend
Tuesday collecting supplies for storm relief efforts as hurricane
Sandy forced a halt to campaigning by both the Republican
presidential candidate and incumbent Barack Obama just a week ahead
of the U.S. elections.
President Obama was expected to turn his attention to managing
disaster efforts and coordinating with governors in New York, New
Jersey and other states across an area the size of France.
The political calculus was slightly more difficult for Romney, who
has devoted his efforts full-time to campaigning for months and has
no official duties to discharge related to the storm. However, he
could not risk being seen as insensitive by hitting the campaign
trail while Americans endure severe storm damage, analysts noted.
Both Romney and Obama had called off events, as had their vice
presidential candidates, Paul Ryan and Joe Biden.
Romney was to attend a gathering in the key swing state of Ohio
billed as a "storm relief event, while his wife Ann Romney and Ryan
were to collect supplies for those impacted by the storm when they
visited Wisconsin and Iowa.
Obama said his focus remained on disaster relief, not the
election. Though he was not campaigning, former president Bill
Clinton was continuing to hold rallies in support of Obama far from
the storm-impacted region.
