Hurricane Sandy
is doing a number on the presidential race.
Not only has it forced the candidates to cancel events in swing states like
Virginia, and the President to put campaigning on hold for at least a couple of
days, but pollsters tracking the race have been hit as well.
Gallup suspended its daily tracking
poll as of Monday, Oct. 29.
Rasmussen Reports, based in hard-hit New Jersey, was able to put out a national
poll on the presidential race Tuesday, but company founder Scott Rasmussen said
the challenge would be to get a national sample for Wednesday, adding they
would be focusing on polling in Western states. The biggest challenges will be accessing data and finding ways to post it online, he told Fox
News Tuesday. But he pointed out that its call center is in Texas,
not New Jersey, so it is still
putting out calls.
Press Secretary Jay Carney did not address the question from a reporter Monday
on whether the President could move Election Day if it came to that. The
reporter pointed out that there were power outages that could last over a week.
"I don't know the answer to that question," he said in a press
conference Monday. "I think you're getting way ahead of yourself
here."
The president, who said everyone had been struck by the force of nature as they
watched it on television, said Tuesday the government would push to get power
back on as soon as possible, citing Newark, N.J.,
for example, where up to 90% of the power is out. "No bureaucracy, no red
tape. Get resources where they are needed as fast as possible," he said in
remarks at national Red Cross Headquarters.
