Obama to visit storm victims as campaign rolls on

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama put campaign battleground travel on hold to tour the ravaged New Jersey coast today, while down-to-the-wire campaigning resumed in swing state Florida that is critical to Republican Mitt Romney's victory plan.

Obama is emphasizing his incumbent's role for a third straight day, skipping voter contact in the handful of states that will decide the election to meet with officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Washington headquarters and visit victims of Hurricane Sandy around Atlantic City.

Obama planned to resume campaign travel Thursday with gusto, making stops in Nevada, Colorado and Wisconsin.

The president's actions have forced Romney to walk a careful line and make tough choices. The former Massachusetts governor must show respect for the superstorm's casualties all along the Eastern Seaboard. But Romney can ill afford to waste a minute of campaign time, with the contest virtually deadlocked in several key states and the election six days away.