Romney Chooses a Running Mate

On Saturday morning in Norfolk, Va., with the USS Wisconsin as a backdrop, Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) ended weeks of speculation on who he would select as his running mate.  Over a four-month vetting process, Romney’s team narrowed twenty candidates to a group of three finalists, including Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.), Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). After an in-person meeting on Aug. 5, Romney offered Ryan the position and he accepted.  Ryan is only the fifth person since 1900 to be selected as a presidential running mate from the U.S. House of Representatives. Ryan, at 28 years old, was elected to represent Wisconsin’s first congressional district in 1998, making him the youngest member of the freshmen class.  Interestingly, he has since been re-elected six times with an average of 66 percent of the vote in what is considered a fairly moderate district.  Though President George W. Bush (R-Texas) carried the district in his two elections, voters selected Gov. Michael Dukakis (D-Mass.), Presidents Bill Clinton (D-Ark.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in others. During his congressional tenure, Ryan continually impresses colleagues and shows a true knack for articulating complex budget jargon in a way that it is easily understood.  His congressional efforts and committee work focus on finding solutions that decrease federal spending, tackle the country’s crippling debt and reform entitlements to ensure their longevity. Romney’s choice has certainly helped to unify apprehensive Republicans and conservative activists alike.  Campaign rally attendance has swelled into the thousands and fundraising has seen a dramatic up-tick.  In the 72 hours following the announcement, the campaign stated it had raised $7.4 million online with over 101,000 contributions. There is no doubt the president’s job performance will be on voters’ minds when they make their decisions on Nov. 6, but with the selection of Ryan, we may now see a debate of credible ideas worthy of a presidential election. For more information, please contact David Ashinoff at (202) 547-5013 or ashinoffd@agc.org.