The superstorm Sandy has been affecting the nation through its impact on the East Coast- not only among residents, but also the ongoing presidential campaign.
President Obama halted all activities in Florida and Virginia to return to Washington D.C. and address the nation from the White House. Meanwhile, Gov. Mitt Romney has changed the direction of his campaign, and will be headed towards Ohio while directing his campaign funds for storm relief towards Virginia and New Hampshire. The storm has caused the two candidates to redirect their activities in order to compromise between the actual threat of Sandy, and drive out any remaining advantages for the campaign.
“I want to mention that our hearts and prayers are with all the people in the storm’s path. Sandy is another devastating hurricane by all accounts, and a lot of people are going to be facing some real tough times as a result of Sandy’s fury,” said Gov. Romney at Avon Lake, Ohio, during a campaign event.
Upon his return to Washington D.C., President Obama arrived at Federal Emergency Management Agency and said, “It’s so important for us to respond big and respond fast as local information starts coming in.”
While both President Obama and Governor Romney have canceled dozens of campaign activities in light of the superstorm, it seems that the situation may favor Obama in the end. “The more people affected by this storm by the end, the better the response the better Obama is going to look. The worse the response … the worse he’s going to look. This presidential moment could help or hurt him,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
“People will claim [President Obama] did it for political reasons, but I believe he deserves the benefit of any doubts. He did exactly what he should be doing as president. That is part of the job. Presidents are expected to lead in a time of crisis,” said David Gergen, a professor of public service at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
However, effects on the campaign may not be the only problem.
The vast scale of Hurricane Sandy may have a possible effect on the actual voting process itself. In Virginia, the effects of such a major storm may last until Election Day. Virginian Democrat Sen. Mark Warner stated that the “storm will throw havoc into the race.”
However, Bob McDonnell, Virginia’s Republican governor, has stated that his state would take measures to ensure residents are able to vote, despite potential obstacles brought on by the storm. “We’ll be ready, but we’re planning for contingencies if there’s still a problem.” He also stated that Virginia would make sure that polling centers such as schools and fire stations would be prioritized in the restoration of power in the case of widespread outages.
In the White House briefing, upon being asked about his concerns regarding the storm’s effects on the election, President Obama answered, “I am not worried at this point on the impact on the election. I’m worried about the impact on families, I’m worried about the impact on our first responders, I’m worried about the impact on our economy. The election will take care of itself next week.”
