New Jersey: In a close and bitterly fought campaign for president, it was a day of contrasts: President Barack Obama joined New Jersey’s Republican governor to tour storm-ravaged areas, while election rival Mitt Romney was relegated to a subdued day of rallies in Florida.
The devastation wrought by mammoth storm Sandy allowed Obama to project an image of a president in charge at a time of crisis. Tied in polls six days before the election, he is fighting to gain an edge over Republican Romney whose recent momentum may be slowing.
The Democrat took a helicopter tour of the damage in New Jersey with Governor Chris Christie, a high-profile Romney supporter who has nevertheless praised Obama lavishly in the last two days for expediting federal storm relief.
Visiting the swing state of Florida, Romney had to tone down his remarks for a second consecutive day in order to avoid appearing too political after the storm that crippled transportation, knocked out power for millions and killed 64 people on the eastern seaboard.
Rather than blasting Obama for what he typically calls failures to turn around the economy, Romney did not mention his rival’s name, instead saying a change in course is needed and that he would bring Americans together if elected.
“Look, we can’t go on the road we’re on, we can’t change course in America if we keep on attacking each other. We have got to come together,” he said in Coral Gables.
Sandy forced the presidential race into a deep freeze, just as Romney was gathering steam in the last leg toward the Nov. 6 Romney.
Both campaigns will be back in full swing on Thursday when Romney travels to Virginia and Obama begins a two-day trip to Colorado, Ohio and Nevada.
A Reuters/Ipsos national online tracking survey, like most other similar polls, found the race effectively tied, with Obama on 47 per cent to 46 per cent for Romney. (Reuters)