Colorado is a key swing state in the 2012 presidential race and Pueblo, a Southern Colorado town of 107,000, has gotten a lot of attention from the Democratic and Republican campaigns. Romney’s visit today would have followed two recent visits from the Obama campaign. First Lady Michelle Obama visited Pueblo in June and President Barack Obama spoke to a crowd of 3,500 there in August.

For Maria Lucero, who has worked as a server at Nacho's Authentic Mexican Cuisine in Downtown Pueblo for four years, all of this campaigning has become personal. Lucero is friends with employees at another café who met the President during his visit and she personally served Michelle Obama and her daughters Malia and Sasha lunch when they came into Nacho’s in June.

"Meeting them one-on-one versus seeing them in the press has totally changed me—it's got me more involved,” Lucero said. “Before I wouldn't sit through a whole political debate, I would sit through maybe a half-hour, but now I'll sit through the whole entire thing—commercials and all—to see what the outcome is. It's opened my eyes.”

Lucero said that when Michelle Obama visited Nacho's it was a quiet day in town because a lot of Pueblo residents were attending the rally but she said there was not quite as much excitement in the air surrounding Romney's scheduled visit today.

"Obama has a lot of supporters here. Romney has a few, but I think a lot of our base in Pueblo is more for Obama," Lucero said.

Pueblo’s large Latino community has likely been a factor in attracting both Obama and Romney to the town—both candidates are attempting to increase their popularity among Latinos. But Lucero said the most important issue to her in this election is not Latino issues, but LGBT issues. Lucero has connections with the Colorado Progressive Coalition and she has been an LGBT rights advocate for three years.

"I think President Obama is doing a fine job—not just because I served the First Lady, but just because he has a lot of good things to offer to the table. A lot of things that Romney is for conflict with things in my [LGBT] community. That just won't fly," Lucero said.

If Romney had paid a visit to Nacho's today, Lucero said she would have treated him like any other customer.

"You have to treat everybody with respect, you don't have to always agree with their values" she said, adding "If Romney [had come] in today, I [would have been] interested in what he [had] to say as well."

Romney has yet to reschedule his visit to Pueblo.

Reach reporter Katherine Davis here.