Romney looks to first debate

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney greets crowds in Denver, ahead of a critical moment in his campaign.

On Wednesday (October 3) night he'll go head to head with Barack Obama in the first presidential debate.

Romney told the crowd he looked forward to setting out his vision for America's future.

SOUNDBITE: REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MITT ROMNEY, SAYING (English):

"These debates are an opportunity for each of us to describe the pathway forward for America that we would choose. And the American people are going to have to make their choices about what type of America they want. So I look forward to these debates. I am delighted that we are going to have three debates. It will be a conversation with the American people that will span almost an entire month. We'll get to describe our respective views and I believe the people of Colorado will choose a better way forward for our country. We can't afford four more years like the last four years."

Romney is under pressure to perform well in the debates, after a video was leaked of him describing 47 percent of Americans as depending on state handouts.

With just five weeks to go before the election, opinion polls suggest Romney is trailing Obama who maintains a narrow lead.