Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has picked conservative favorite Rep. Paul Ryan for his vice president.
Formerly considered an unlikely choice as Romney’s running mate, Ryan, 42, has served seven terms as a representative for Wisconsin and is chairman of the House Budget Committee. His 2013 budget proposal, known as the Ryan budget, focuses on reducing the size of federal government, cutting taxes and reforming entitlements, making him a favorite of the tea party and the target of liberals.
Romney made the announcement Saturday morning to a large crowd gathered beside decommissioned battleship USS Wisconsin at the U.S. naval base in Norfolk, Virginia.
“Paul is a man of tremendous character,” Romney said, describing Ryan as “a person of great steadiness, ... and true to his word.”
Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, has supported the Ryan budget. “We will work to preserve and protect Medicare and Social Security and keep it for future generations,” he said, while promising to “repeal Obamacare.”
