Obama to skip Florida rally with Bill Clinton and return to D.C.

ORLANDO, Fla. _ With weather worsening in Washington, President Obama will skip a Monday morning rally with former President Bill Clinton, opting to return to Washington early to keep tabs on Hurricane Sandy.

White House spokesman Jay Carney announced the schedule change Monday, blaming “deteriorating weather” in Washington. He said the president would return to “monitor the preparations for and response” for the storm.

Obama is determined to manage the federal response to the storm from the White House, rather than the campaign trail. The campaign is mindful of the risks of appearing to be prioritizing politics during a potential disaster.

Still, Obama had hoped to get some campaigning in on Monday morning before Sandy was due to bear down on the East Coast. He left a day early for the rally with Clinton, to get ahead of storm.

But even with an accelerated schedule, the plans involved flying the president back to Washington during a squall.

Clinton will still attend the morning rally in Orlando, the campaign said.

ALSO:

Biden sharpens Romney critique as campaign nears final turn

Obama recruits door-to-door campaigners with election night offer

Romney says his thoughts are with those in Hurricane Sandy’s path

Kathleen.hennessey@latimes.com

Twitter:@khennessey