• On day of data, Romney turns personal

    By NBC's Garrett Haake

    ST. PETERSBURG, FL-- On a day in which the news cycle was dominated by a political back-and-forth over the latest jobs report, Mitt Romney on Friday night took a personal tack instead at a rally here, regaling his audience with sometimes-morbid tales of courage from the Americans he has met over the years who have inspired him.

    Midway through his remarks here at a steamy rally with more than 5,000 supporters, Romney pivoted away from his talking points on the economy and towards personal anecdotes. Perhaps most touching of the three tales of courage amid loss was that of David Oparowski, a young boy whom Romney counseled through his battle with leukemia; including writing a will for the 14-year old boy.

    "I went to David’s bedside and got a piece of legal paper, made it look very official. And then David proceeded to tell me what he wanted to give his friends. Talked about his fishing rod, and who would get that. He talked about his skateboard, who’d get that. And his rifle, that went to his brother," Romney recalled.

    "I’ve seen the character of a young man like David, who wasn’t emotional or crying. He had his eyes wide open. There’s a saying, clear eyes, full heart, can’t lose," Romney said, quoting from Friday Night Lights, a television drama about football in a small Texas town of which he and Mrs. Romney are both devoted fans. "David couldn’t lose. I loved that young man."

    The more personal tone from Romney, including Oparowski's story, which was told by his mother at the Republican convention last month, marked the continued evolution of the Romney campaign's strategy to further round out their candidate's image in the final weeks of the convention.

    "This is quite a nation we live in, with some extraordinary people," Romney said, wrapping up his third anecdote, about a soldier he was told about at the convention, whose mother told Romney her son had died abroad to protect freedom -- even the freedoms of "misguided" protesters who picketed the soldier's funeral. 

    Even as Romney pivoted back to the economy, he kept his more personal, compassionate tone. Obliquely remarking on today's jobs report, Romney said he understood that Americans both with jobs and without were suffering. 

    "People in this country are having a hard time finding a job," Romney said. "People in this country are having a hard time making ends meet even if they have a job." 

     

  • Ann Romney: Debate will highlight contrast between candidates

    Chris Schneider / AP

    Ann Romney speaks to supporters at a campaign event in Littleton, Colo., on Tuesday.

     

    By NBC's Jamie Novogrod

     

    LITTLETON, Colo. – On the eve of the first presidential debate, Ann Romney said Tuesday that the debate will highlight the "contrast" between her husband and President Barack Obama.

    "We are excited about that," she said of the debate. "We're focused. And I can't wait for the contrast that we're going to hear tomorrow."

    Romney's remarks echo messaging from advisers to her husband, Republican nominee Mitt Romney, as pressure builds for him to deliver Wednesday.

    "I think the governor sees it as an opportunity to draw out the very clear choices and the very clear contrast that he wants to offer to voters yet to make up their mind," senior adviser Kevin Madden told reporters Monday.

    Several recent polls have shown Romney trailing Obama, although the race remains close. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Tuesday shows Obama three points ahead among likely voters, 49 to 46 percent, which is within the poll's margin of error.

    Littleton, where Ann Romney spoke Tuesday, is about 10 miles south of Denver, where Wednesday's debate will be held.

    Though Ann Romney said her husband "doesn't fail" and that he "knows how to do turnarounds," most of her speech Tuesday focused on his character.

    Saying she is grateful for others who are tired of hearing the former Massachusetts governor "mischaracterized," Ann Romney recounted the story of her husband comforting a 14-year-old boy named David Oparowski who was dying of Hodgkin’s disease.

    Pat and Ted Oparowski, David's parents, met the Romney family through their LDS church near Boston and told their story at the Republican National Convention in August. Mitt Romney helped their son craft a will, they said at the convention, and at David’s request, gave his eulogy.

    "That is where Mitt is when someone's in trouble," Ann Romney said. "He's there, he's by the bedside. Right now, the country's in trouble. We need someone that cares."

    Slideshow: Twin sons of different parties

    From tramping through cornfields to munching ice cream cones to holding babies – the time-honored traditions of the campaign trail leave President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney looking surprisingly alike.

    Launch slideshow