WASHINGTON (AP) – Four years ago, the presidential contenders were packing airplane hangars, city squares and college arenas in a sprint to Election Day. This year, the rallies are fewer, the gatherings often smaller.

Barely six weeks before the election, where are President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney spending their time? Fundraisers. The high costs of seeking the presidency – and changing ideas of how to win – are shifting campaign schedules at the expense of time-honored candidate-to-voter interaction.

Out: Hopscotching to a couple of states a day, spending hours shaking hands with voters, posing for pictures and trying to win support the old-fashioned way.