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SALT LAKE CITY — Presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney selected Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his vice presidential pick Saturday morning, ending weeks of speculation about Romney's potential running mate. The Romney campaign dubbed the Romney-Ryan ticket "America's Comeback Team."
"Today we take another step forward in helping restore the promise of America," Romney said Saturday morning. "As we move forward in this campaign and on to the help lead the nation into better days, it's an honor to announce my running mate and the next vice president of the United States, Paul Ryan."
The bold pick by Romney has the potential to energize the Republican base, particularly tea party conservatives, who see Ryan as a young force in the Republican Party with real solutions to reduce the federal deficit with his budget plan. He is seen by many as a man willing to talk about the tough issues needed to fix the economy.
Ryan's plan has been seen as the blueprint for many Republicans, with reforming Medicare at the heart of the plan. Ryan's plan would turn the government-run Medicare program into a privatized voucher program and would reduce the top tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent.
- As chairman of the House Budget Committee, Ryan is a young star in the Republican Party, becoming a spokesman to reduce the deficit and debt.
- Romney and Ryan have built a strong rapport over the election cycle.
- Ryan is from the battleground state of Wisconsin, where polls have Obama leading Romney.
- Ryan is seen as bridging the gap in the Republican Party who see Romney as not a strong conservative candidate.
- Ryan's budget plan will be a focus for the Democrats this fall, particularly the Medicare aspect of the plan.
- Ryan voted for a Medicare prescription-drug benefit, the Bush tax cuts and the Iraq war. All appear to be contrary to his budget proposals.
- Ryan has no foreign-policy experience and has done little outside his roles in government. Most of Ryan's experience has been spent in Congress.
However, Ryan's budget plan is instantly brought to the front of the 2012 presidential election, which has been highly criticized by the Democrats because they contend Ryan's spending cuts would come from low-income programs. Additionally, while the Romney-Ryan ticket will focus on jobs and the economy, the Democrats will likely focus on Medicare.
With the federal deficit relatively static throughout President Barack Obama's first term in office, a Romney-Ryan ticket immediately sends a message the campaign is focused on reducing the federal deficit and working to reduce taxes. Picking Ryan also shows Romney is willing to address the tough reforms needed to fix the economy.
"We offer solutions that our bold, specific and achievable," Romney said.
Many political pundits contend Romney picked Ryan because the Republican base continues to struggle with Romney as a true conservative, but see Ryan as a strong conservative willing to fight for the party. One of Romney's largest accomplishments as governor — Romneycare — does little to excite the party given the opposition to the Affordable Care Act passed by President Barack Obama.
Having Ryan on the ticket also sends a message about the impact of the federal government on the lives of American citizens, saying a "culture of dependency" must be stopped. Additionally, selecting Ryan from the battleground state of Wisconsin is a strategic move to ensure more votes in November.
And while conservatives are energized by the selection of Ryan as Romney's running mate, he is not well known by most Americans. Many see Ryan as another member of Congress, which continues to decline in its popularity with Americans.
In a city that's far too often characterized by pettiness and personal attacks, Paul Ryan is a shining exception. He doesn't demonize his opponents.
–Mitt Romney
In a CNN poll released earlier in the week, 46 percent of Republicans viewed Ryan favorably, while 7 percent viewed him unfavorably. With only 53 percent of Republicans having an opinion of Ryan, there is room for his favorability to increase.
Ryan is serving his seventh term in Congress, acting as the Chairman of the House Budget Committee where he has "worked tirelessly leading the effort to rein in federal spending and increase accountability to taxpayers," the Romney campaign said in a released statement.
"His leadership begins with character and values. Paul is man of tremendous character," Romney said while announcing Ryan as his running mate. "In a city that's far too often characterized by pettiness and personal attacks, Paul Ryan is a shining exception. He doesn't demonize his opponents."
Ryan was the youngest member — 28 — of the freshmen class of representatives entering Congress in January of 1999. Ryan served as an aide to Republican Senators Robert Kasten Jr. and Sam Brownback, former U.S. Rep. and vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp. Ryan earned degrees in economics and political science from Miami University in Ohio.
