Mitt Romney Says 'Heart Aches' for Jobless During Tour in Ohio

Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama were both in Ohio today speaking to voters about key issues.

In what Reuters is calling an effort to repair the damage from comments he made in leaked videotape, Romney said his "heart aches" for the jobless.

"I've been across the country. My heart aches for the people I've seen," Romney told a crowd in Westerville on the second day of a bus tour across the state, according to Rueters.

In the video, Romney tells donors to his campaign that 47 percent of Americans are "victims" who depend on government, don't pay federal income taxes and are unlikely to support him.

Critics say those comments hurt Romney's campaign and sent him into "crisis mode." The article stated Democrats were quick to point out that the "47 percent" to whom Romney referred - those who receive some form of government benefits - includes not just the poor but also working-class families, members of the military and the elderly, some of whom Romney has depended upon for support.

Ohio's jobless rate is 8.1 percent and one in eight jobs in the state are linked to the automobile industry.

Obama's campaign made sure to point out that he was the one who pushed for an automobile bailout and Romney fervently opposed it.

Reuters also reported that Ohio and Florida are politically divided states central to Romney's hopes to amass the 270 electoral votes needed for victory, and losing either could be disastrous for the Republican.

It said that Democratic President Barack Obama - who also campaigned in Ohio on Wednesday - leads Romney in Ohio by 10 percentage points and is ahead in two other important states - Florida and Pennsylvania - by similar margins.