Romney 'to pick Paul Ryan as running mate'
11-08-2012 12:00 AM
Ammon News - AMMONNEWS-Mitt Romney, the Republican US presidential candidate, will announce Representative Paul Ryan as his running mate, US media has reported citing campaign sources.
A Republican official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Romney would announce Ryan, a representative for Wisconsin, as his choice at an event in Norfolk, Virginia on Saturday.
NBC News, CNN and The Huffington Post were among US media that cited at least two campaign sources confirming Ryan would be Romeny's choice.
The Norfolk event will be a prime photo opportunity at the USS Wisconsin, a decommissioned World War II-era battleship that also saw service during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The announcement venue on its own made Ryan a likely pick.
Ryan, a fiscal conservative whose plan to slash federal spending and lower taxes has won over many Republicans, was born in Wisconsin, which shares the name of the battleship.
Romney bonded with Ryan during the Wisconsin Republican primary battle last spring when Ryan campaigned enthusiastically for the former Massachusetts governor and they often appeared together.
The challenge for Romney will be to introduce Ryan to the broader electorate. While well known in Washington and
among conservatives, most voters are not familiar with him.
The timing of the announcement means Romney will have his running mate by his side during a vital tour bus swing through the battleground states of Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Ohio, four states that Obama won in 2008 but are in play this time around.
*Agencies