WASHINGTON -- The politics of Hurricane Sandy are obviously difficult to game out. But the White House has clearly decided that it would look uncomfortably partisan for the president to be on the stump while the federal government was managing a massive natural disaster. And so, on Tuesday morning, the administration announced that President Barack Obama would be off the trail on Wednesday, canceling a swing through the critical state of Ohio.
From the White House Press Office:
The President will remain in Washington, DC on Wednesday to monitor the response to Hurricane Sandy and ensure that all available federal resources continue to be provided to support ongoing state and local recovery efforts. As a result, the President will not participate in the campaign events that had been scheduled in Ohio tomorrow.
Instead, he will head to New Jersey. The press office released a statement Tuesday afternoon announcing that Obama will survey the hurricane damage along with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie:
Tomorrow afternoon, the President will travel to New Jersey where he will join Governor Christie in viewing the storm damage, talking with citizens who are recovering from the storm and thanking first responders who put their lives at risk to protect their communities. Additional scheduling details will be released when they are available.
Mitt Romney is holding "relief events" on Tuesday, though those seem to be toned down campaign stops that are also helping raise money for victims of Sandy. He is also scheduled to make campaign stops in Virginia on Wednesday, though it remains to be seen how hard he campaigns against the president during the week ahead.
This article has been updated with information about the president's trip to New Jersey.
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