U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will begin a new campaign offensive Monday as he seeks to regain momentum against President Barack Obama.
Romney will hold a rally in the city of Pueblo, Colorado before traveling to the key midwestern state of Ohio Tuesday for the start of a three-day bus tour. That will be followed by a trip to the southern state of Virginia. All three states are among the handful of so-called "battleground" states that hold a crucial number of electoral votes, which are needed to win the November 6 election.
Romney has been criticized by many Republicans for spending more time raising money than earning votes. His standing in voter opinion surveys has fallen due to a series of major missteps in recent weeks. Romney came under fire for prematurely criticizing the Obama administration's response to violence in North Africa and the Middle East linked to an amateur film made in the U.S. that Muslims felt ridiculed the Prophet Muhammed.
Romney's campaign was also rocked last week by the release of a secretly-recorded video of him telling wealthy donors back in May that half of U.S. voters who support Obama, the Democratic incumbent, believe they are "victims" dependent on government benefits, and that he would not, in his words, "worry about those people."
Romney told reporters Sunday that his fundraising efforts will be "a little quieter going forward."
Meanwhile, the president and his wife Michelle will be in New York City Monday, where Obama will address the opening of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Romney and Obama will take part in their first face-to-face debate on October 3.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.