
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has picked Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan to be his running mate (AP) Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has picked Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan to be his running mate, according to a source.
Mr Romney's completion of the Republican ticket comes as he tries to repair an image damaged by negative Democratic advertising and shift the trajectory of a campaign which has seen him lose ground to president Barack Obama.
The vice presidential selection will dominate headlines, and Mr Romney's team has been relentlessly teasing the announcement for weeks.
Mr Ryan, 42, is viewed by some in the Republican Party as a bridge between the buttoned-up party establishment and conservative activists who have never warmed to Mr Romney.
As the chairman of the House Budget Committee, Mr Ryan could help Mr Romney make the argument that only the Republican ticket knows how to turn around a nation in the midst of a sluggish economic recovery.
As talk about Mr Ryan swirled this week, Democrats have been castigating Mr Romney for embracing the Ryan-sponsored budget proposal that critics say is painful to the poor and elderly. It was a sign of the line of attack to come.
The move also now links Mr Romney directly with House Republicans, including no-compromise conservative activists who have pressed for deep spending cuts. Mr Obama has been casting House Republicans as an impediment to progress in an often-gridlocked Washington.
At the same time, Mr Ryan on the ticket could help Mr Romney become more competitive in Wisconsin, a state Mr Obama won handily four years ago but that could be much tighter this November.
Mr Romney's campaign is expected to officially confirm the selection later today.
The newly minted Republican ticket will appear together in Norfolk, Virginia, at the start of a four-state bus tour to introduce the Republican ticket to the nation.
Poster Comment:
Borrow and spend big government neocon progressives, kick the can down the road.