WASHINGTON — Sandy again blew through President Obama’s and Mitt Romney’s campaign schedules yesterday — but it didn’t keep either candidate from making appeals to voters using the ferocious storm as a backdrop.
The White House announced that Obama would travel to New Jersey today to tour the devastation with Republican Gov. Chris Christie — which will give the president the chance to promote a bipartisan aura in his campaign.
Christie, a key Romney supporter, yesterday praised Obama for the feds’ “wonderful” storm response.
Obama met with his security team at the White House and held a conference call with governors and mayors from hard-hit areas, including Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Cuomo.
“I want everyone leaning forward on this,” Obama told his staff, borrowing from his “Forward” campaign slogan in an appeal for quick action from federal agencies.And he warned: “I want you to cut through red tape. I want you to cut through bureaucracy.”
He also visited Red Cross headquarters in DC, where he told the public: “This storm is not yet over” because of continuing flood risks. Obama heaped praise on New York’s first responders, saying, “We’ve . . . seen nurses at NYU Hospital carrying fragile newborns to safety. We’ve seen incredibly brave firefighters in Queens waist deep in water, battling infernos and rescuing people in boats.”
“We pull together. We leave nobody behind,” Obama said, praising first-responders.
Meanwhile, Romney jumped back into the public eye yesterday, turning a planned campaign rally near Dayton, Ohio, into a food drive for Sandy victims.
The event featured a country band and appearance by NASCAR legend Richard Petty. Romney aides took down campaign signs but showed a biographical video about the candidate.
“We have heavy hearts, as you know, with all the suffering going on in a major part of our country,” Romney told the crowd.
As Romney helped load bottled water and other supplies for the needy, several reporters asked him about his statement in a 2011 Republican debate in which he said he would “absolutely” send FEMA funding directly to the states and the private sector. Romney didn’t respond, but his campaign said he would support FEMA funding for disasters.
With Obama staying off the campaign trail until tomorrow to tend to the disaster, Bill Clinton continues to barnstorm the country on his behalf.
Clinton appeared yesterday in Minnesota, a reliably Democratic state but where a weekend poll showed a tight race.
Americans for Prosperity, a pro-Romney super PAC, began airing TV ads in Pennsylvania — part of a $2 million buy, and the Romney camp released its own Pennsylvania TV ad.
The Obama camp is responding with its own ads, and is dispatching Vice President Biden to stump in the state, where a weekend poll by the Philadelphia Inquirer gave Obama 6-point lead.
The Republican candidate is set to stump today in the battleground of Florida, with two new polls showing the race a nail-biter.
Romney held a razor-thin lead of 50-49 percent in a CNN Florida poll — within the survey’s 3.5-point margin of error. Among crucial independent voters, Romney was up 51-46. Two national polls also showed a virtual dead heat.
A poll conducted by Florida Survey/USA had the race tied 47-47 and showed Romney leading by 18 points among senior citizens.
A recent Mason-Dixon poll showed Romney leading 51-45 in the bellwether “I-4 Corridor” running from Tampa Bay to Daytona Beach.
An NPR national poll had Romney up 48-47. Four weeks ago, NPR showed the president ahead 51-44.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Sandy didn’t only knock presidential politics off track. It also stifled critical Senate campaigns — from Massachusetts to Connecticut to Virginia — that are vital in the battle for control of Capitol Hill.
From Connecticut to Virginia, tightly fought battles for Senate seats took a back seat to the storm.
In Massachusetts, Republican Sen. Scott Brown and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren postponed their anticipated final debate scheduled for last night.
In Connecticut, Linda McMahon and Rep. Chris Murphy had to shelve campaign events yesterday, instead turning out at storm-recovery centers in a state hard hit by Sandy.
It was a similar story in Virginia, where Republican former Sen. George Allen and Democratic former Gov. Tim Kaine, who are also locked in a tight race, were sidelined by the storm.Additional reporting by Gerry Shields in DC and Carl Campanile in NY
The three battles are being watched closely as Republicans try to pick up a net gain of up to four seats to take over the chamber. Democrats currently control the Senate, 53 to 47.
Power outages in the four states affecting millions means campaign television spots won’t be reaching voters.
“Get-out-the-vote activities are disrupted, meaning that thousands of voters who would have received a phone call or a door knock by a volunteer in the final days will likely not hear from anyone,” said Republican strategist Tyler Harber.