Romney, Ryan to rally in Henderson Tuesday

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan plan to hold a rally together in Henderson on Tuesday, the day after the final presidential debate, a campaign source said Friday.

President Barack Obama has been edging out Romney in Nevada, according to recent polls, but the battleground state remains up for grabs as early voting kicks off here today .

Obama was leading Romney 48 percent to 45 percent in a SurveyUSA poll published this week in the Review-Journal, which commissioned the survey with 8NewsNow.

Nevada is one of nine swing states expected to determine who wins the White House on Nov. 6.

The visit by Romney and Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman, in their first joint appearance in Nevada underlines how important the Silver State is to Romney's hopes of defeating Obama.

Romney has campaigned here at least half a dozen times. Obama, too, has made frequent stops, several more than his GOP challenger. First lady Michelle Obama is set to return to Las Vegas on Friday.

The Romney campaign planned to run front-page ads in the Review-Journal on Sunday and Monday promoting the rally.

"Join Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and the Republican team for a victory rally at Henderson Pavilion, Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 11:30 a.m.," the ad said.

The ad was paid for by the Republican National Committee and Romney for President, Inc.

The Pavilion has 2,444 fixed seats, with overflow grass seating that can accommodate an another 1,500 people. Tickets will be available at www.mittromney.com/nv, according to the ad.

The final presidential debate is set for Monday in Florida and will focus on foreign affairs.

Romney won the first debate against a lackluster Obama, which boosted the former Massachusetts governor in the polls.

The president came back stronger in the second debate, putting pressure on both candidates for Monday's face-off.

Contact reporter Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Follow her on Twitter @lmyerslvrj.