Mitt Romney will return to Virginia on Thursday with three campaign stops, hoping to close the deal with the state's voters and move them solidly into his column.  

Romney will make campaign stops in Roanoke, Richmond and Virginia Beach. 

Romney has been outperforming John McCain's 2008 totals in the Roanoke region. He has double-digit leads among the state's crucial independent voters, many of whom reside in the Richmond area. Military voters in Virginia Beach may turn out for Romney in droves; Obama has played politics with sequestration, which will impact Virginia more than any other state. 

A recent Roanoke College poll had Romney leading Obama by five points among likely voters and Romney has 0.5 percentage point lead in the RCP average of polls in Virginia.