Kettering, OH – Mitt Romney suspended his campaign schedule in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The Republican presidential candidate was captured breaking a sweat while picking up bags of canned good and cases of water donated by supporters in Ohio. The GOP nominee was busy thanking residents in the Dayton area not for their vote, but for their acts of charity for the storm victims.
During his brief remarks at what was slated to be a campaign trip to the swing state, Romney noted that Americans have “heavy hearts” today when thinking of all the suffering along the East Coast. The GOP presidential candidate did not utter any partisan rhetoric or mention President Barack Obama’s name during the Ohio event.
Hurricane Sandy relief items collected at the Romney event include canned food, diapers, water, clothes, and toothpaste, according to the Washington Post . Romney thanked those who donated items, telling them that their generosity touched his heart. The candidate also noted that he had spoken with the governors in the area affected by the hurricane, according to the Dayton Daily News .
Mitt Romney had this to say during the relief effort:
“We have a lot of goods here that these people will need. We have heavy hearts, as you know, with all the suffering going on. There are a lot of people who were hurting this morning, who were hurting last night. We’re going to box them [donations] up, then send them into New Jersey.”
The candidate has also asked supporters to send monetary donations to the Red Cross to help the storm victims. Although the Red Cross prefers that people send money instead of collecting needed items, the South Jersey Red Cross is already prepared to take the items generously donated at the Romney relief event. The candidate’s victory centers across the state are also accepting items to send to Hurricane Sandy victims.