RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Both presidential candidates are expected to campaign in Virginia on Thursday.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak at a rally at a 20,000-seat Virginia Beach amphitheater. Obama will encourage Virginians to register to vote before the state's Oct. 15 deadline.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney will talk to veterans at American Legion Post 176 in Springfield.

The presidential contenders follow their running mates, who each have campaigned in the state over the past two weeks.

Vice President Joe Biden spoke at a suburban Richmond fairground on Tuesday. Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan made two stops in the state last week.

Recent polls place Obama slightly ahead of Romney. Obama won Virginia in 2008, becoming the first Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson to gain victory here.