Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and runningmate Paul Ryan are curtailing their campaign schedule as Hurricane Sandy bears down on the Eastern seaboard, canceling planned appearances Monday night and all day Tuesday.

According to the campaign team for Romney, Romney and Ryan won't make any of their campaign stops Monday night or Tuesday, including Ryan's stop in Melbourne.

"Out of sensitivity for the millions of Americans in the path of Hurricane Sandy, we are canceling tonight's events with Governor Romney in Wisconsin and Congressman Ryan in Melbourne and Lakeland, Florida," said Gail Gitcho, Romney Communications Director in a release. "We are also canceling all events currently schedule for both Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan on Tuesday. Governor Romney believes this is a time for the nation and its leaders to come together to focus on those Americans who are in harms way. We will provide additional details regarding Governor Romney's and Congressman Ryan's schedule when they are available."

The decision was announced a short while after President Barack Obama canceled a planned rally at the University of Central Florida to fly back to Washington, where aides said he would oversee the government's response to the threat posed by the storm.

Former president Bill Clinton continued to campaign for Obama at UCF on Monday.

Romney intends to go ahead with speeches today in Ohio and Iowa before he begins observing his self-imposed storm-related moratorium on campaigning.

The former Massachusetts governor and Obama are locked in a close race, eight days before Election Day.