Sandy Disrupts Presidential Campaign 8 Days Out

Obama rushed out of battleground Florida ahead of a planned noon rally to beat the worst of the weather system bearing down on the East Coast. As he was in midair, the White House announced that Tuesday's trip to Green Bay, Wis., also was off.

Obama was trying to balance the need to show command in crisis while in the final throes of a tough re-election campaign. Upon arrival at the White House, he planned to convene a video conference in the Situation Room with administration officials monitoring the storm's path and running the response. The president also scheduled a statement to news organizations at midday.

Romney planned to go forward with campaign rallies in the Midwest out of the storm's path Monday and Tuesday, apparently determined to maintain a moderate tone as the hurricane threatened to wreak havoc elsewhere. He told supporters in the storm's path to bring in their yard signs so they don't damage property and encouraged donations to the Red Cross.

But his schedule was being reviewed at his Boston headquarters on an hourly basis. Contingency plans included perhaps canceling campaigning altogether in the event of casualties or sending Romney to tour storm-damage in New Jersey, where the storm was expected to make landfall.

Republicans seek to minimize any political advantage that Obama might gain from appearing in his official, non-campaign mode in the midst of a national emergency. They note that Romney — at least for now — is freed from any official duties and can actively campaign in states not affected by the storm. That could change, depending on Sandy's severity.

The president met with federal emergency officials Sunday before flying to Florida that night ahead of a rally scheduled for Monday. But the intensifying storm heading to the East Coast took priority, with the president signing emergency declarations for New England states in the middle of the night from his Orlando hotel room.

By dawn the White House decided to call off the politicking. Obama made a bumpy flight back to Washington and landed in a driving rain that forced him to take his motorcade, rather than his helicopter, back to the South Lawn upon arrival.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said they changed plans because the storm picked up speed and intensity overnight, making it necessary for the president to leave earlier if he hoped to get back to Washington.

"The president's priority right now is the safety and security of Americans who are in the path of the storm," Carney said. "It's essential in his view that he be in Washington ... to oversee that effort and to be updated on it."

Obama's plans to campaign Wednesday in Ohio were still on, though campaign officials said they were evaluating travel plans on an almost hourly basis.

Most of the White House news media representatives who accompanied Obama to Florida were left there after the pilots of separate, charter flights determined it was unsafe to follow Air Force One back to Washington.

Obama's aides considered moving the Orlando event even earlier Monday morning but were told that would put Air Force One back too late to land safely. Nearly all commercial flights had already been canceled in the Washington area as heavy rains soaked the capital ahead of Sandy's expected landfall Monday night.

With eight days before Election Day, neither campaign could afford to fully shut down its political activity in a race that remains tight. Four critical election states are affected by the storm — North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and New Hampshire — but there was still unthreatened ground to cover across the rest of the country.

While the impact of the storm had yet to be seen, at the very least it was a distraction as both sides were looking to make their final appeals and millions of ballots were already being cast in early voting. It threatened to dilute Romney's efforts to close the deal with voters while giving Obama a platform to show leadership in the time of crisis. And power outages could end up cutting off their message in television ads and automatic phone calls in the eastern swing states.

Republicans concede that the storm essentially pushes a pause button on the momentum Romney had been building in key states across the country, but argue that it's not necessarily a bad thing. They insist they are in strong positions in battlegrounds like Ohio, Florida, Colorado and Iowa, but acknowledge that Virginia could be a problem. Romney was forced to cancel three rallies planned for the state on Sunday and it's unclear when he'll be able to return.

Romney's campaign is considering a plan to send the candidate to New Jersey later this week, where he could meet with victims and gauge damage with political ally Gov. Chris Christie. The move would follow the path Romney took in the wake of Hurricane Irene following the Republican National Convention, when he toured storm damage in Louisiana with Gov. Bobby Jindal, also a supporter.

Another type of storm was awaiting Romney in Ohio Monday.

The United Auto Workers announced recently a deal with Ford that promises to create 600 new jobs in nearby Brook Park, and keep 1,800 jobs in Avon Lake. The Avon Lake jobs are the product of Ford moving its commercial truck business from Mexico to Ohio.

The development not only gives Obama a chance to stoke his call for returning jobs to the U.S. from overseas, but reminds voters in auto-heavy Ohio of the auto bailout that Romney opposed.

Obama and his campaign have tirelessly jabbed at Romney's auto industry position, seen as a barrier to the Republican in Ohio and nearby northern industrial states. Romney's visit to Avon Lake will no doubt provide another reminder.

Romney also was scheduled Monday to campaign in Iowa and Wisconsin, trying to force Obama to play defense in a state where the president has been leading in the polls despite the addition of native son Paul Ryan on the GOP ticket.

Former President Bill Clinton still planned to appear before voters at the Orlando rally in Obama's absence. Later Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden were appearing together in Youngstown, Ohio. Biden was originally supposed to campaign in New Hampshire Monday, but diverted to Ohio to replace Obama after the president canceled his appearance to stick to Washington.

Polls suggest Obama has an advantage in reaching the required 270 Electoral College votes. But Romney's campaign is projecting momentum and considering trying to expand the playing field beyond the nine states that have garnered the bulk of the candidates' attention.

A senior Republican official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to disclose private deliberations, said Romney's team was discussing sending the GOP nominee, Ryan or both to traditionally left-leaning Minnesota during the campaign's final week.

Clinton planned to campaign in the state Tuesday with likely stops on college campuses, before continuing on a tireless swing to help fill Obama's void this week to Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, Virginia, New Hampshire and Wisconsin.

Both campaigns used social media to urge supporters to donate to the Red Cross and said they would stop sending fundraising emails on Monday to people living in areas in the storm's path.

Romney staffers in North Carolina, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Virginia were collecting storm-relief supplies at campaign offices to be delivered via one of Romney's campaign buses. In an email, Romney encouraged supporters in the storm's path to help neighbors get ready.

"For safety's sake, as you and your family prepare for the storm, please be sure to bring any yard signs inside," the email read. "In high winds they can be dangerous, and cause damage to homes and property."

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Associated Press reporters Steve Peoples in Avon Lake, Ohio, Brian Bakst in St. Paul, Minn., and Ken Thomas in Washington contributed to this report.