Romneys offer emotion and optimism as campaign nears end

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- As Mitt and Ann Romney close out the presidential campaign, there is palpable emotion from the Republican nominee and his wife about the roller coaster they have lived for the last 17 months. It was on full display in Colorado Springs as Ann took the stage to introduce her husband.

“It has been quite a journey. It’s coming to a close. We have three more days,” she said, and the crowd of thousands gathered in an airplane hangar began chanting, “Three more days! Three more days!”

“This is quite emotional, I must say, to be in this room, but it’s also quite emotional to me to know how humble I feel at this moment. How filled with love I feel for the people of this country and for the journey that we’ve been on for this last while across this nation and what we’re sensing and how important this moment is,” she said. “This is our time to turn the country around. And I’m standing next to the man that’s going to do that.”

The candidate thanked the crowd for its efforts on his behalf and urged them to do more for the next three days. And he predicted victory on Tuesday.

“We’ve journeyed far and wide in this campaign for America’s future,” Romney said. “And now we’re almost home. One final push – we’re going to be there. Many long days, short nights. We’re that close right now. The door to a brighter future is there. It’s open for us, it’s waiting for us. We need your help. I need your work, I need your phone calls, I need your vote.

“Walk with me. We can get this done together. Let’s come together, America. Let’s get America strong again. Let’s make sure we remain the hope of the Earth. Thank you so very much.”

As he darted from airplane hangar to airplane hangar in Iowa and Colorado, Romney imbued his final speeches with a sunny Reaganesque optimism—a promise that the past four years are not “the best we can do.”

He has tried to strike a careful balance between criticism of President Obama’s economic stewardship and a sense of hope about what a new administration could bring.

“If there’s anyone who wonders whether better jobs and better paychecks are simply things of the past, I have a clear and unequivocal message,” he said in Colorado Springs, where he and his wife made a dramatic entrance as the doors of the hangar slid open to reveal a crowd of thousands. “With the right leadership, America is going to come roaring back. We’re Americans. We can do anything.

“The only thing that stands between us and some of the best years we’ve ever seen is lack of leadership. And that’s why we have elections,” he continued. “This Tuesday is a moment to look into the future and imagine what we can do to put the past four years behind us and start building a new future.”

Seema.mehta@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSeema

Maeve.reston@latimes.com

Twitter: @maevereston