Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said Thursday that it was "quite possible" the president's handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy would boost his prospects at the polls next week.
"I think it's quite possible; the president is doing what the president does best," Cummings said during an interview with CNN.
"I mean, you've heard Gov. Christie say that he had talked to the president six times, and when he got together with him, he could feel the compassion that he felt over the phone, and that says a lot. Here we have two men, who truly care about their country, coming together. And I think that's basically what America wants."
But the Maryland lawmaker cautioned that the president should tread lightly upon his return to the campaign trail Thursday, suggesting there was risk for both Obama and challenger Mitt Romney as the East Coast continues to grapple with the aftermath of the deadly storm.
"I think it all depends on how they do it," Cummings said. "The president said yesterday that he is addressing this minute by minute, and I like the fact that he said that his folks had to get back to the mayors and the governors within 15 minutes. Clearly, I think he can do more than one thing at a time. Again, we're coming down toward the end of the election. I think they both have to make their cases and I don't see anything wrong with that."
Cummings did take a few shots at the Republican presidential nominee, however, saying Romney was "basically rope-a-doping" in the campaign's waning days.
"You've got to keep in mind, one of the things that Gov. Romney has done is basically, he's decided to stop answering questions two to three weeks outside of the election," Cummings said. "I mean, I've never heard of anything like that."
