The devastation unleashed by Hurricane Sandy, the massive storm crippling the Eastern seaboard for the next two days, caused President Obama to cancel his campaign events and return to Washington, D.C., to oversee the hurricane response.
Republican challenger Mitt Romney followed suit, not wanting to appear as though he was capitalizing on the disaster, though he did attend a couple of events on his schedule in Midwestern swing states.
Obama visited FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, before heading to the White House for a conference call with governors from Eastern states likely to be hit hard by Sandy.
Obama also declared states of emergency in New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Massachusetts, Delaware, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, which will allow FEMA to operate unhindered in its relief efforts in those states.
"Don't pause; don't question the instructions that are being given, because this is a serious storm," said Obama in a address to the public.
When asked how the storm will affect the election, Obama responded, ""I am not worried at this point about the impact on the election. I'm worried about the impact on families, and I'm worried about the impact on our first responders. I'm worried about the impact on our economy and on transportation."
"The election will take care of itself next week," he continued. "Right now our number one priority is to make sure that we are saving lives."
A spokesperson for Romney echoed that sentiment, saying "Governor Romney believes this is a time for the nation and its leaders to come together to focus on those Americans who are in harm's way."
But we're here to speculate about Sandy's effects on the election next week.
At first blush, it looks like a set of bad options for Romney. While Obama heads off to Washington where he's needed, Romney must refrain from being seen as taking advantage of the president's absence on the campaign trail.
But Romney is no longer a sitting governor, and without any political office to operate from, he's basically a cheerleader for disaster relief, an odd position for him considering he once advocated for the elimination of FEMA.
So the Romney campaign will be muted, and he'll make the rounds expressing his deep concern for the victims of the storm as best he can. It could be a good opportunity to humanize himself in the eyes of viewers.
However, Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight, wonders if Sandy will depress the election turnout, a result that would hurt Obama.
Several states have already canceled early voting for the next few days, and if people are left without power or proper infrastructure, they'll be much less likely to make it to the polls.
Most of the states affected are Democratic, but Sandy could affect swing states like Pennsylvania, and it will definitely hit Virginia.
While no amount of rain will make New York turn red, the storm could suppress enough turnout in blue states that Obama loses the popular vote while still winning in the Electoral College. Ohio is unlikely to be affected, as is Colorado and Nevada, and Florida seems to have dodged most of the storm.
In the end a stronger storm is better for the Republicans, unless the relief effort is quick, efficient and successful. Then the Democrats will reap public support as they prove government isn't always the problem.
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