Campaigning for Mitt Romney, House Speaker John Boehner spoke for about 10 minutes to 75 people Tuesday morning in Naples. The House speaker said polls showing President Obama leading Romney should be taken with a grain of salt, stressing the race is actually a “dead heat.”

“It is as close as anything that you’ve seen,” Boehner said. “These debates over the next couple of weeks are going to be very important for our team. One thing you know about me is that I never give up.”

Boehner, who stressed the importance of Romney’s economic plan, called the upcoming election the most “important” of our lifetime.

“Thirty-five days before the biggest election of our lifetime. You’ve heard politicians talk about the upcoming election being the biggest election of your lifetime. Guess what? They were wrong. The most important election of our lifetime is going to be this November,” he said.

The Ohio Republican spoke to Romney supporters huddled under umbrellas outside the Collier County Republican Party headquarters in Naples.  After the event he was expected to attend a private fundraiser for congressional candidate Trey Radel.

Boehner is on a month-long barnstorming tour to rally support for congressional candidates and the Romney campaign.

Organizers said they expected 200 people, but the rain may have kept people away.

Tags | Collier County Republican Party, John Boehner, Mitt Romney, Naples, obama, Trey Radel