BURLINGTON, Mass. (AP) – As Mitt Romney’s campaign claimed new momentum in the race for the White House, President Barack Obama’s political advisers on Sunday promised the incumbent would unleash his more aggressive side in Tuesday’s debate to prevent their Republican rival from delivering another “magical and theatrical performance.”
Obama and Romney hunkered down in private debate preparation for much of the day as aides offered a pre-debate sparring match on television.
They disagreed on much, but agreed that Romney bested Obama in their first meeting nearly two weeks ago – a performance that shifted the direction of a race that had favored the president but has since tightened in national and battleground state polls.
“He knows Mitt Romney had a better night at the first debate,” Obama spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said of the president. “The American people should expect to see a much more energized President Obama.”
Ed Gillespie, senior adviser to the Romney campaign, quipped that the former Massachusetts governor would be prepared regardless of Obama’s adjustments: “The president can change his style. He can change his tactics. He can’t change his record. “
Obama spent the day with aides in swing state Virginia, while Romney stayed close to his Boston-area home ahead of Tuesday’s prime-time, town hall-style debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., exactly three weeks before the Nov. 6 election.