WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (October 14, 2012)--President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney were each forgoing time on the campaign trail for hours of intense debate preparation ahead of their next face-to-face meeting Tuesday night.

Mr. Obama, seeking to rebound from a dismal performance at the first debate, was huddling Sunday with advisers at a sprawling riverfront resort in Williamsburg, Va.

Romney retreated to his Boston-area home where he was working to replicate his commanding turn on the debate stage.

The days devoted to debate preparations underscore just how important the next face-off, which falls exactly three weeks from Election Day, is to both campaigns.

Millions of Americans are already casting their ballots through early voting, meaning there are few opportunities to recover from slip-ups in what remains an exceedingly close race.