HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) - The wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appealed for votes at a campaign rally outside Las Vegas with a message that her husband is compassionate, competent and prepared for the job.

Ann Romney's second appearance in less than a week in electoral battleground Nevada drew more than 1,000 people to a convention center in downtown Henderson.

She was just seven miles from a Lake Las Vegas resort where President Barack Obama is practicing for his Wednesday debate with Mitt Romney in Denver.

Ann Romney spoke as the granddaughter of a Welch immigrant coal miner, and spent 12 minutes repeating some of the stories she told an audience of more than 500 in Reno on Thursday.

She says the country is ready for a turnaround, and for Mitt Romney.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.