PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Romney campaign has abruptly canceled three rallies in Virginia scheduled for Sunday as a major storm approaching the East Coast began to significantly disrupt the final days of a closely contested presidential race.
Mr. Romney was scheduled to appear at rallies in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Virginia Beach, as he seeks to build support in the swing state, where polls show the candidates are running neck and neck.
The campaign said that Mr. Romney would instead divert to Ohio, to attend three events originally set to feature his running mate, Paul Ryan.
The storm is wreaking havoc on the candidates' travel plans at a crucial time, when every minute is carefully calculated in swing states that could determine the outcome of the race.
An aide to Mr. Romney said that he did not want to divert security resources away from the storm. Visits from a presidential candidate require hundreds of police officers, and the image of them traveling with Mr. Romney, rather than preparing for the storm, is something Mr. Romney is eager to avoid.
Follow Michael Barbaro on Twitter at @mikiebarb.
