Ann Romney, whose career has been wife and mother, does not dispute the label of the most traditional spouse on the campaign trail. She steadfastly declines to identify the political issues where she and her husband disagree.

As first lady, Ann Romney said she would continue working on behalf of at-risk youth as well as helping find a cure for multiple sclerosis. She was diagnosed with the disease shortly before her husband took over the scandal-scarred Salt Lake Olympics in 1999.

"I was really, really sick," Ann Romney recalled of that time. "I was regaining my health and my strength. That's what I did those three years I was here. ... It was enormously rewarding."

Today, she said, her health is good despite the rigors of a campaign that's included nearly 500 events since the start of the year. "I have absolutely loved being on the campaign trail," Ann Romney said. "It's been the thrill of a lifetime."

She spent just over 24 hours in Utah, first visiting son Josh Romney and his family and then hosting a women's luncheon fund-raiser at the home of Rod Gunnell, co-founder of Health Benefits America, a benefits outsourcing company.

---

E-mail: lisa@desnews.com