Colombus, Ohio:
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is preparing for his second debate with President Barack Obama but still taking time to tell voters in Ohio that enthusiasm for him is surging both in Ohio and across the country.
Obama is prepping for their matchup by hunkering down Saturday in another battleground state, Virginia.
Romney plans to spend Saturday morning at a hotel outside Columbus, where he'll meet with top advisers and get ready for his Tuesday showdown with Obama in Hempstead. He returns to Massachusetts in the evening but first makes two campaign stops in Ohio.
Obama is spending the next three days in Williamsburg in debate-prep mode. The president has acknowledged he needs a stronger performance when the two meet for the town-hall style debate.