Sandy Impacts Presidential Race

President suspends campaign, polling efforts hampered

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/30/2012 3:12:23 PM

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.