Superstorm disrupts final week of US presidential campaign

Superstorm Sandy’s mayhem is upending the final week of the presidential race, with US president Barack Obama calling off another of the waning days left to campaign and Republican Mitt Romney struggling to strike the right tone as he tries to close the deal with voters.

The White House announced Obama will not go ahead today with a campaign swing through Ohio. He plans to remain in Washington to monitor recovery efforts for the storm that practically shut down New York City and spread damage across the East Coast.

Romney and running mate Paul Ryan initially announced they were canceling events out of sensitivity for the millions of Americans in Sandy’s path. But, with only a week left to try to push Obama from office, the GOP campaign was back on last night with events in the critical Midwestern swing states of Ohio and Iowa, albeit with changes to the programme.