Sandy throws a wrinkle into election

Bowing to Sandy's fierce winds and potential for damage, President Obama scuttled campaign stops in Florida to return to Washington to monitor the storm.

SOUNDBITE: U.S. President Barack Obama saying:

"I'm confident that we are ready"

He warned Americans to expect power outages that could last for days and to heed evacuation orders.

Asked about the election which is just eight days away, he said.

SOUNDBITE: U.S. President Barack Obama saying:

"I am not worried at this point about the impact on the election. I'm worried about the impact on families and I'm worried about the impact on our first responders. I'm worried about the impact on our economy and on transportation. The election will take care of itself next week. Right now our number one priority is to make sure that we are saving lives."

Republican Mitt Romney held a rally in Avon Lake Ohio and then cancelled some but not all of their events.

SOUNDBITE Republican Mitt Romney saying:

"I want to mention that our hearts and prayers are with all the people in the storm's path Sandy is another devastating hurricane by all accounts, and a lot of people are going to be facing some real tough times as a result of Sandy's fury."

In a virtual dead heat, both candidates are acting cautiously to avoid coming across as tone deaf to the physical and economic danger facing millions of Americans. Sandy has already claimed 66 lives in the Caribbean and some analysts predict economic losses could be near 20 billion dollars.