• Cruz touts new generation leading conservative movement

    By Alex Moe, NBC News

    NEW YORK -- Tea Party favorite Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told New York Republicans on Wednesday night to remain optimistic about the country’s future because a new generation of leaders -- "the children of Reagan" -- have taken over to lead the fight for conservatives.  

    Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks Wednesday at a state dinner in New York about the 2012 presidential election and the infamous 47 percent remark made by former Governor Mitt Romney.

    “If you sit back and you list who are the brightest stars in the Republican Party, who are the most effective advocates for free-market principles, you come up with names like Marco Rubio, like Mike Lee, like Rand Paul, like Pat Toomey, like Scott Walker,” Cruz said as a man in the audience at the New York State Republican Party dinner yelled his name. 

    “You have to go back to World War II to see such a transformation of the people leading the fight, leading the argument for conservative principles, being an entirely new generation of leaders stepping forward.” Cruz continued, describing the men who grew up while Reagan served in office. “In this new generation of leaders, you see the echoes of that same communication, that same love story of freedom, echoing we are right and all of us together are working to communicate that message.”

    The outspoken senator from Texas spoke for more than 30 minutes on a variety of topics -- the debt-ceiling battle in Washington, his desire to repeal the federal health-care law, and the need to simplify the tax code and grow the economy.  

    “You know, a lot of Republicans have been agonizing why the November defeat turned out the way it did. I am going to suggest that the last election can be explained in 2 words: 47 percent,” Cruz said. “The national narrative of the last election was the 47 percent of Americans who are not currently paying income taxes; who are in some ways depending on government; we don’t have to worry about you. That’s what was communicated in the last election. I’ve got to tell you that as a conservative I cannot think of an idea more opposite of what we believe. I think Republicans ought and should be the party of the 47%.” 

    Wednesday night’s speaking engagement in New York City only continues to fuel speculation over Cruz’s future political plans, even a run for president in 2016. He recently traveled to South Carolina to headline a party fundraiser and has been invited to speak at a dinner in New Hampshire this fall -- two important early presidential voting states. Roughly 500 people attended the dinner with nearly $750,000 dollars raised, according the state party’s spokesman.

    The invitation to the $1,000-a-plate party dinner notes that Cruz is appearing at the event “only as a featured guest” and “is not asking for funds or donations.”  Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal gave the keynote address at last year’s state dinner, former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour spoke in 2011, and it was former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's turn in 2010. 

    Several dozen protesters gathered outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel holding various signs opposing the Texas senator’s stance on issues, including immigration and gun control. Some top New York Republicans refused to attend the annual party dinner, because Cruz did not vote for the Hurricane Sandy relief bill after the storm devastated much of the East Coast, including New York.

    “I don’t think we should be acknowledging people who are voting against us in our hour of need,” Rep. Peter King (R-NY) told Buzzfeed Tuesday. “Once I found it was him, I decided not to go. I don’t know if I would have gone or not because of scheduling things, but that made it easy once I found out it was Ted Cruz.” When asked prior to the dinner about Rep. King not attending, Cruz told NBC News: “I have not met Mr. King but I think it is unfortunate he couldn’t join us tonight.”

  • Ryan, Rubio reach for the 'Un-Romney' in dueling speeches

    By NBC's Garrett Haake and Alex Moe

     

    NEW YORK -- Less than a month after Mitt Romney's bid for the White House was suddenly snuffed out, his vice-presidential nominee and another top surrogate -- and fellow potential 2016 presidential candidate --delivered dueling speeches Tuesday that attempted to reframe Republican philosophy in what was a strikingly "Un-Romney" tone.

    Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) spoke first at the dinner, followed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who was receiving an award from the foundation of Ryan's mentor, former Rep. Jack Kemp. Ryan's speech -- his first public address since the Nov. 6th loss -- echoed themes from his late October speech in Ohio on economic mobility, but little else from the fall campaign.

    "We have a compassionate vision based on ideas that work - but sometimes we don't do a good job of laying out that vision. We need to do better," Ryan said Tuesday night at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, an almost word-for-word recitation of what he said Oct. 24th in Cleveland.

    It was in that policy speech just two weeks before Election Day that a glimpse of what the post-election Wisconsin congressman would look like. The Ohio speech was Ryan's brainchild on the trail, reflecting his personal passion for the topic, and the idea of an upwardly mobile society that could be built on Republican principles.

    The speech was the only one of its kind Ryan gave during the 80-plus days he was on Romney's ticket, and perhaps reflecting concerns that Ryan's remarks were off the nominee's messaging, Romney held his own event during Ryan's speech that day, which soaked up news coverage.

    But speaking at the Kemp dinner Tuesday evening, the seven-term congressman launched himself back onto the national stage without Romney or his advisers guiding the message.

    While Ryan praised Romney by name as someone who he felt "would have been a great president," he also very publically distanced himself from his former ticket mate’s "47 percent" remarks to donors at a private fundraiser last spring.

    In the remarks, captured by surreptitious video recording, Romney claimed 47 percent of Americans are "dependent upon government" and would therefor only vote for President Barack Obama and his vision of a larger government.

    "Both parties tend to divide Americans into 'our voters' and 'their voters,'” Ryan said. “But Republicans must steer far clear of that trap. We must speak to the aspirations and anxieties of every American. I believe we can turn the engines of upward mobility back on, so that no one is left out from the promise of America. But it's going to require a bold departure from the approach that government has taken for the last five decades."

    If Ryan was cautiously backing away from the GOP ticket's rhetoric in his remarks, Rubio turned on his heel and walked away from it completely. In his 4,185 words of prepared remarks, two words were notably missing: Mitt and Romney.

    The Florida senator and Tea Party darling focused his remarks on a segment of the population whose imagination the Romney campaign tried, and largely failed, to capture: the middle class.

    Praising the large and stable middle class as something uniquely American, Rubio took aim at what he called a growing "opportunity gap" between those born into the middle class and those who are left to struggle from humbler means to try and get there.

    "For those of us blessed with the opportunity to serve our country in government, one of the fundamental challenges before us is to find an appropriate and sustainable role for government in closing this gap between the dreams of millions of Americans and the opportunities for them to actually realize them," Rubio said, according to prepared remarks.

    "The key to a vibrant middle class is an abundance of jobs that pay enough so that workers can provide for themselves and their families, enjoy leisure time, save for retirement, and pay for their children’s education, so they can grow up and earn even more than their parents."

    Compare that to Romney's own comments on what he called the "opportunity society" he hoped to create, which focused more on the idea of government getting out of the way of business, which could lift up the American people.

    "I will spend the next four years rebuilding the foundation of our opportunity society, led by free people and their free enterprises," Romney said in a speech in Wisconsin March 30th. "The only real solution to help communities devastated by lost jobs is more jobs. President Obama never seems to have understood the basic point that a plant closes when the business starts to lose money. So when the president attacks businesses for making money, and when his policies make it more difficult for businesses to make money, he's also attacking the very communities he wanted to help."

    Romney's rhetoric toward the middle class focused, as did much of his campaign, on creating jobs. His five-point plan for creating jobs and helping the middle class touched on macro issues like controlling debt, supporting free trade and the amorphous phrase "champion small business."

    That type of tone, appealing to the “job creators” more than those looking for work could have led to the polling data First Read noted this morning: Obama beat Romney by 10 points (53%-43%) on which candidate was more in touch with people like you, and, 53% said Romney's policies would favor the rich (compared to just 10% for Obama).

    And while Rubio's policy prescriptions rarely deviated from Republican orthodoxy (he noted he opposed tax increases, and praised faith-based and community organizations as key to stemming "societal breakdown,") he used even his personal story -- and son-of-immigrants background -- to create a contrast with the former Republican standard bearer and paint the Republican Party as not just the party of the wealthy.

    Whereas Romney infamously noted his well-to-do friends (NASCAR and NFL team owners have dubious mentions in the campaign record) and regularly highlighted successful entrepreneurs he had met on the campaign trail, Rubio closed with an anecdote of someone further down the income ladder.

    "A few weeks ago, I was giving a speech at a fancy hotel in New York City,” he said. “When I arrived in the banquet hall, I was approached by a group of three uniformed employees from the hotels catering department. They had seen my speech at the Republican Convention, where I told the story of my father the ‘Banquet Bartender.’ And they had a gift for me. They presented me with this name tag, which says, ‘Rubio, Banquet Bartender.’ That moment reminded me that there are millions of Mario Rubios all across America today. They aren’t looking for a handout; they just want a job that provides for their families."

    With both men striking similar notes it seems clear that at least these top Republican leaders see an inclusive message as a possible path back from the wilderness. Whether either of Tuesday's speakers will become the messenger, remains to be seen. 

    Garrett Haake and Alex Moe were both 2012 presidential campaign embeds for NBC News. Haake covered Mitt Romney and Moe covered Paul Ryan and others.

  • Ryan returns to Wisconsin as campaign enters final hours

    By NBC’s Alex Moe

     

    MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- Paul Ryan held his final rally of the campaign in his home state here exactly five months to the day after Republicans survived a gubernatorial recall and the GOP vice presidential nominee hopes his state will go red again Tuesday.

    “They have always taken us for granted, Wisconsin. They thought it was easy. We haven't gone Republican since 1984. One more day. One more day. One more day,” Ryan told the 2,500-person crowd. “Let's prove them wrong. Scott Walker showed you what leadership looks like. Our leaders led and the people of Wisconsin had his back. But we’ve got one more left. We’ve had a lot of elections here in Wisconsin lately. We know how they work and we know how to win them.”

    Walker, the Wisconsin governor who embraced Ryan Monday night after introducing him, was victorious during the bitter recall election on June 5, 2012, beating labor unions and Democrats who tried to remove him from office.

    The late-night rally was the last of five events for Ryan across four time zones on the eve of the election. The seven-term Wisconsin congressman was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd inside a hangar at the General Mitchell International Airport here -- it’s the airport Ryan flew in and out of on weekends to visit his family in Wisconsin from Congress.

    "Boy, it feels so good to be home,” Ryan proclaimed after holding rallies in Nevada, Colorado, Iowa and Ohio. “This is a special moment for us. It's a special moment because we have traveled across this country as a family talking with people throughout America who care so deeply about their country, who know that this is a unique moment, who know it’s a serious moment, it's a serious time and I've gotta tell ya, the experience that Janna and Liza and Sam and Charlie and I have had together, meeting with people around this country has warmed our hearts, it has been incredible because so many Americans have come out to get their country back on the right track.”

    Ryan continued: “And we know in one day we 're going to turn this thing around, elect Mitt Romney, the next president of the United States and turn this thing around. We're going to do it right here in Wisconsin."

    Polls are tight in the Badger State between President Barack Obama and Romney, but Ryan is optimistic that the state’s “beautiful 10 electoral votes” will fall to the GOP’s side on Election Day.

    “We can do this. All eyes are watching us. Wisconsin, the Packers made it last Sunday, they are on a roll. We know how to win. We know how to make a difference,” Ryan said as he wrapped up his nearly 20-minute speech to his hometown crowd. “I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart on behalf of my family. Thank you for what you’ve done. Thank you for your support.”

    Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus, Sen. Ron Johnson, and U.S. senate candidate Tommy Thompson were all in the crowd Monday to wish their hometown son on to victory in just a few short hours.

    Ryan will vote in Janesville on Tuesday morning before two quick stops in the battleground states of Ohio and Virginia. Then he heads to Boston for his party’s election night party.

     

  • Ryan in Iowa: 'We are going to win'

    By NBC's Alex Moe

     

    DES MOINES, Iowa – Holding his third event on the eve of the election, Paul Ryan briefly stopped in the same city where he held his first solo rally as Mitt Romney’s running mate nearly four months ago. This time, he told Iowans the GOP ticket will “win” on Tuesday.

    “That is the kind of leadership we need right now: Common sense leadership, get things done, stop blaming people, and don’t try to transform this country into something it was never intended to be,” said Ryan, speaking inside an airport hangar at the Des Moines International Airport. “That’s who we are. That’s why we need your help. That’s why we have momentum. That’s why we are going to win. And that’s why we only have one more day before we get us on the right track.”

    The Republican vice presidential nominee first appeared in the battleground state of Iowa just two days after he was added to the ticket. Ryan spoke at the popular Iowa State Fair on Aug. 13 – his first event campaigning without Romney. Monday’s evening rally marked Ryan’s twelfth in the state.

    While national polls show a neck-and-neck race for the White House, President Barack Obama leads Romney here in Iowa, which has six electoral votes up for grabs. According to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll, Obama is up by six points.

    Ryan, who is hitting five battleground states the day before the election, had a welcome response in Iowa’s state capital a few miles down the road from where Obama is holding his final campaign event tonight.

    “Look we’ve kind of gotten to know each other these last few months here, haven’t we?” Ryan told the crowd. “The hospitality that Iowans have shown this Wisconsinite, I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I want to thank you so much.”

  • Ryan campaigns in traditionally blue Minnesota 2 days before election

    Mary Altaffer / AP

    Republican vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and his wife Janna arrive at a campaign event on Sunday in Minneapolis.

    By NBC’s Alex Moe

     

    MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – In a sign that the Republican ticket is trying to expand the electoral map before Tuesday’s election, Paul Ryan held his first public campaign rally since being selected as Mitt Romney’s vice presidential pick in the traditionally blue state of Minnesota with just two days to go before Election Day.

    “Minnesota, you gonna help us win this election?” Ryan asked a nearly 6,500-person crowd in the Twin Cities.

    Until recently, neither Ryan nor his running mate paid much attention to the North Star state, which President Barack Obama won in 2008 and which awards 10 electoral votes.

    Eric Thayer / Reuters

    Supporters listen as Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan attends a campaign event in Minneapolis, Minn. on Sunday.

    Ryan and his wife, Janna, ate dinner in downtown St. Paul last week, and he held a fundraiser in Minneapolis on Oct. 13. But Sunday’s rally marks the first public event for either Ryan or Romney during the general election.

    Speaking at an airport hangar at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport with about 48 hours before Election Day, Ryan asked Minnesotans to unite behind Romney-Ryan.

    “We could use your help, Minnesota. How about it? What do you say?” he said to cheers. “Look at this: Vikings for Romney-Ryan. Even Vikings fans and Packers fans can lie down together for this country.”

    He even joked about how he is constantly confused for being from Minnesota.

    Ryan said: “You know, as I travel around the country and this has been my story for years, in D.C., people say ‘Oh yeah, Ryan, you're that budget guy from Minnesota, right?’ I say, ‘No I’m from Wisconsin, close. We’re the Catholic deer hunters; they are the Lutheran deer hunters.”

    It was Ryan’s largest solo campaign crowd to date and he fed off the energy in the state that borders his home state of Wisconsin.

    “You know this is a critical election. You know it's a critical moment. We can't handle four more years of this, and Minnesota, work with us. Join with us. Together we can do this. Two more days and we get America back on the right track you guys. Two more days!” Ryan said.

    Sunday’s stop in the Twin Cities area is one of four events for Ryan as he also held events in Wisconsin and Ohio earlier in the day and will head to Colorado for a final rally tonight.

  • Paul Ryan reacts to second Wisconsin shooting

    By NBC’s Alex Moe

     

    SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan is “shocked and saddened” by the shooting in his home state of Wisconsin that took place Sunday just two months after another mass shooting in the state.

    “Janna and I were shocked and saddened by the news from Brookfield today. As our community continues to heal from August’s tragic violence, our thoughts and prayers are with today’s victims and their loved ones,” Ryan said in a statement.

    Related: Three killed in shooting at Milwaukee-area salon; suspect found dead

    “Our gratitude also goes to the first responders who rushed to save lives and secure the scene. We will not allow the evil responsible for this heartbreaking event to triumph over the spirit of the people of Wisconsin. I ask all Americans to keep those affected by this event in their hearts, minds, and prayers today,” he said.

    At least seven people were shot and three of them killed this morning at the Azana Spa across the street from the Brookfield Square mall, according to police.

    Brookfield is in the 5th District, which Republican Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner represents.

    In early August -- the week Mitt Romney tapped Ryan as his running mate -- a shooting in Oak Creek, Wis. rattled Ryan's district. Romney delayed announcing his running mate so that Ryan could attend funeral services for the seven killed at the Sikh temple outside of Milwaukee.

  • 16 days to go: Ryan tells Iowans, 'We need your help'

     

    By NBC’s Alex Moe

     

    COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- With 16 days until the Nov. 6 election, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan made his first visit to Western Iowa Sunday afternoon and asked voters in the key state for their help.

    “We need your help,” Ryan said outside a Bass Pro Shops store here. “Iowa, you are so used to it. You are used to being the eye of the storm. You are used to seeing this. You have a responsibility and an opportunity and an obligation to help us get this country back on the right track.”

    The speech came on the heels of the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday morning showing President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney tied nationally -- both getting 47 percent of support among likely voters.

    Alex Moe / NBC News

    Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan speaks in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Sunday.

    In the swing state of Iowa -- which yields six electoral votes -- Obama is ahead of Romney by eight points – 51 percent to 43 percent – according to the NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll released Thursday.

    While Ryan has frequented the state since his selection as VP -- holding nine events in the Hawkeye State so far -- this speech before nearly 1,200 people marks his first visit to the Republican stronghold of Western Iowa. The Wisconsin congressman will hold an additional rally in Sioux City this afternoon.

    With early voting underway in Iowa, Vice President Joe Biden visited the same shopping center complex on the border of Nebraska nearly three weeks ago, drawing a crowd of about 500.

    Ryan, who rarely campaigns on Sundays, made several sports analogies.

    “Big Ten country, that’s where we are. And in Big Ten country, we take care of our kids, we take care of our neighbors, we are honest, we tackle our problems, and we want to look back at this moment as the this time as the time we got it right,” the Wisconsin Packers fan said. “Look, right here at Bass Pro, it’s where we take our kids to teach them values. It’s where we look at the traditions we have in this country that made us so unique and so great.”

    This is the Midwestern congressman’s second trip to the outdoors store on the trail. He stopped to buy his 10-year-old daughter Liza hunting gear at a Bass Pro Shops store in the battleground state of Ohio in late September.

     

  • Ryan in coal country hits Obama on energy

    Keith Srakocic / AP

    Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. center, accompanied by Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, right, gestures Saturday while speaking at a campaign rally at the Valley View Campgrounds in Belmont, Ohio, where he talked about economic conditions and the coal industry.

    By NBC's Alex Moe

    BELMONT, Ohio -- Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan took aim at President Barack Obama's energy policy during a campaign swing through coal country Saturday.

    "One thing Belmont County can do," Ryan said here at Valley View Campgrounds, "if you head to early voting at your Belmont board of elections the one thing you can do is elect a man named Mitt Romney, who will end this war on coal and allow us to keep these good-paying jobs."

    Standing in front of a barn with a huge "Victory in Ohio" sign behind him, Ryan continued attacking Obama just two days before the final presidential debate: "Gas prices have doubled since President Obama was elected; we are losing thousands of coal jobs; we have a 100 coal plants that are scheduled to close; and thousands more jobs are on the chopping block. When you take a look at all his assault on oil and gas, he’s closing down oil and gas on our federal lands; he’s making it harder for us to get it overseas."

    This Southeastern Ohio rally marks Ryan's 24th public event in the Buckeye State -- a key state needed to go Republican on Nov. 6th for a Romney victory.

    An Ohio Fox News poll released Friday showed the race tightening in the battleground state, with Obama leading Romney 46 percent to 43 percent.

    Speaking earlier Saturday in Moon Township, Penn., a Pittsburgh suburb, Ryan told the crowd after waving the Terrible Towel associated with NFL’s Steelers: "We also need to make sure we open up markets so we can make more things in America and sell them overseas. Make sure people trade fairly with us, open our markets so we can make more things in steel country and sell them all around the world. That creates good jobs."

    Saturday's Pennsylvania rally marked only the third public appearance in the state by the seven- term Wisconsin congressman. He was last there nearly two months ago on Aug. 21, when he also geared his speeches to focus more on energy while in Appalachia.

    Speaking inside an airport hangar Saturday in the Keystone State, Ryan told voters they should be very concerned if Obama gets re-elected because of his energy policies.

    "Not only are these policies wrong, not only do these policies cost us jobs, not only do they mean that American energy dollars go to the Middle East, they are keeping us from having a boom, they are keeping us from having jobs, they are keeping us from making our pay checks stretch farther," he said.

    Obama's campaign fired back on these charges.

    "The President has an all-of-the-above energy plan for his second term that will cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support 600,000 natural gas jobs by the end of the decade. Mitt Romney can try to hide his true positions and policies in the final weeks of the campaign, but the truth is that he has no plan to create jobs or strengthen the middle class," campaign spokesman Danny Kanner said in a statement.

  • Ryan spins Clinton's words on economy to knock Obama

    By NBC’s Alex Moe

     

     

    FORT MYERS, Fla. – Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan used President Bill Clinton’s own words Thursday against President Barack Obama.

    “Just today, President Bill Clinton said it is true that our economy is not fixed. He is right,” Ryan said at an outdoor rally at Lee County Sports Complex field.

    Clinton was campaigning for Obama in Ohio with rocker Bruce Springsteen when he said: “Governor Romney’s argument is, ‘We’re not fixed, so fire him and put me in.’ It is true, we’re not fixed. When President Obama looked into the eyes of that man who said in the debate, ‘I had so much hope four years ago and I don’t now,’ I thought he was going to cry because he knows that it’s not fixed."

    Back in Southwest Florida, Congressman Ryan addressed nearly 3,600 people and cited other “revealing things” Obama and his allies have said lately.

    “You know what? If the president can’t fix Washington from the inside; if the middle class has been buried for the last four years; and if the economy is not fixed, it is time we change presidents and elect Mitt Romney the next president of the United States.”

    President Obama’s campaign shot back at Ryan’s portrayal of Clinton’s remarks.

    “In Ohio today, President Clinton powerfully articulated the progress we’re making under President Obama – we’ve created 5.2 million private sector jobs over the last 31 months, the unemployment rate is at its lowest level since January 2009, consumer confidence is at a five-year high, and foreclosures are at a five-year low,” campaign spokesman Danny Kanner said in a statement. “But, as President Clinton noted, we simply can’t afford to go back to the same failed policies that brought our economy to the brink of collapse in the first place – and that’s exactly what Mitt Romney’s offering.”

    Friday, Ryan will continue campaigning in the Sunshine State holding events in Tampa and a joint event with Mitt Romney in Daytona Beach.

     

  • Ryan, Rice stump together in Ohio, visit Browns

    By NBC's Alex Moe

    BEREA, Ohio -- Making her first public appearance on the campaign trail with a member of the Romney-Ryan ticket, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spent part of Wednesday in the all-important battleground state of Ohio with Paul Ryan.

    TV Pool

    Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman speak to the Cleveland Browns Oct. 17 in Berea, Ohio.

    “I’m here because I want, like you, to see this country prosper, to see this country continue to be a place of unlimited opportunity, to see this country lead the world toward prosperity and liberty and peace," Rice said. "And so I’m here to support Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in that quest."

    The former President George W. Bush cabinet member spoke at the Republican National Convention in August this year on behalf of Mitt Romney and has also participated in fundraising efforts but this was a rare joint public appearance for her.

    “What an example," Ryan said. "If you want to see the embodiment of the American idea, look no further than this leader off my right shoulder Condoleezza Rice." He added: "You know this is my second time following Condoleezza Rice…it's a little intimidating, tough act to follow.”

    In Ryan’s fourth trip to Ohio in the past week, he praised Romney’s performance in last night’s presidential debate and criticized President Barack Obama for not offering new ideas.

    “Cut through the clutter of all the attack ads and what did we see?" Ryan said. "We saw a president offering not a single new idea on how to turn things around. We saw a president not offer a single new idea or a lesson learned from the failures of the last four years. But what we saw in Governor Mitt Romney was a leader who has the solutions, who has the ideas on how to turn this economy around, how to get people back to work, and how to get America back on the right track, and that's what we're going to do on November the sixth right here in Ohio."

    Ohio, which has begun early voting, remains a crucial battleground state that both Romney and Obama are spending a lot of resources on to try and capture the state’s 18 electoral votes.

    Rice is an avid sports fan, and her favorite football team just happens to be from the Buckeye State -- the Cleveland Browns. Following the rally at Baldwin Wallace University that drew a crowd of roughly 1,200, Ryan and Rice, along with Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, stopped by a Browns practice.

    “I came by to say hello to my favorite NFL team," Rice said at the training complex as the Browns got their first win of the regular season last weekend against the Cincinnati Bangles. "And I am really thrilled about last Sunday. And, you know, it starts one game at a time. So one game and then another game and then another game, and I’m just really looking forward to a great rest of the season."

    Ryan, as the team knelt on one knee by the three special guests, briefly addressed the team, as well: “You know I went to Miami of Ohio so half my friends are from Cleveland, half my friends are from Cincinnati, and all my friends from Cincinnati are pretty ticked off today.”

    But, the Wisconsin congressman then confused one quarterback of the Browns for another.

    “My wife’s from Oklahoma, so we’ve been watching you," Ryan said addressing Colt McCoy, the famed TEXAS quarterback. "You were really fun to watch at OSU. You guys got a great young team."

    Ryan's comment, though, was intended for Brandon Weeden, who was drafted this year as the starting quarterback.

    Secretary Rice pointed over at Weeden and, with a laugh, Ryan continued: “Oh yeah, there you are. Sorry. You always had a helmet on.”

  • Romney, Ryan campaign in Ohio, revel over VP debate

    Jamie Sabau / Getty Images

    Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, speak on stage Friday at a rally in Lancaster, Ohio.

    By NBC’s Alex Moe and Garrett Haake

    LANCASTER, Ohio — Campaigning with his running mate on Friday in the battleground state of Ohio, Mitt Romney praised Paul Ryan’s performance the previous night in the vice presidential debate.

    "We got to watch this guy debate and there was one person on the stage with thoughtfulness, who was respectful, who was steady and poised. There is one person on that stage you’d want to be with if there were a crisis — it is this man right here," Romney said at sunset in the Lancaster Town Square.

    Ryan also mentioned how he squared off with Vice President Joe Biden: "You have a huge choice to make. We have a big choice to make. You know, I think we saw a sign of it last night just like we saw it a week ago. You see, they are offering no new ideas. The president is simply saying more of the same. Hope and change has become attack and blame."

    Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, Romney’s debate partner, joined in the debate chatter as well, telling the crowd: "We’ve had two great debates in the last eight days."

    President Barack Obama’s campaign spokesman, Lis Smith, disagreed with the Republican’s assessment of Thursday night’s debate in Danville, Ky.

    "Mitt Romney and Congressman Ryan were awfully defensive about last night’s debate at their event in Ohio. It’s no surprise why -- Vice President Biden unmasked their real agenda," she wrote in a statement.

    Romney and Ryan last campaigned together in another crucial state — Virginia — and that rally was the night following Romney’s first presidential debate.

    The GOP ticket is continuing to crisscross the country as recent poll numbers show a tightening race.

    "I've had the fun of going back and forth across Ohio and this week I was also in Florida and Iowa; I was in North Carolina, in Virginia and, you know what, there is a growing crescendo of enthusiasm people recognize that this is not an ordinary campaign; this is a critical time for the country; there is more energy and passion; people are getting behind this campaign; we're taking back this country," the Republican presidential nominee told the several-thousand person crowd Friday night.

    While Romney and Ryan campaign separately Saturday, both candidates remain in the Buckeye State – only further emphasizing the significance of the Midwestern state on Nov. 6th.

  • Ryan gets in fall spirit before VP debate

    By NBC's Alex Moe

     

     

    KENOSHA, Wis. – Four days before the vice presidential debate -- arguably one of the most important political moments of his life so far – Paul Ryan spent the day with his family preparing for Halloween.

    Ryan, his wife Janna and their three children, Liza, Charlie and Sam, stopped at Apple Holler, a family farm in Sturtevant, Wis., to pick pumpkins – a Ryan family tradition.

    The seven-term Wisconsin congressman noted that his family enjoys carving their pumpkins -- but likely wouldn’t do that until next week -- and said they "love" to scoop out the seeds and toast them.

    After Ryan hauled a wagon nearly 50 yards to the pumpkin patch, the family carefully selected four of the largest pumpkins they could find. The winning pumpkins weighed in at 49 pounds, 37 pounds, 35 pounds, and 34 pounds.

    The presidential race heated up as Mitt Romney continued his assault of President Obama's record in Florida, saying that a 7.8 percent unemployment rate is nothing to celebrate. NBC's Ron Mott reports.

    Two weeks ago in New London, N.H., Vice President Joe Biden visited a pumpkin patch where he bought a 36.75-pound pumpkin.

    Asked about the upcoming Oct. 11th debate with the vice president, Ryan maintained a jovial spirit.

    "What debate?" he joked. "Oh, yeah – I'd better get ready for that."

    Asked how his debate prep was going – he did just spend four days preparing in Virginia -- Ryan laughed: "You know I'd better get started. You just reminded me. No, it’s going well."

    After the trip to the local farm, Ryan stopped at Tenuta's Deli here -- his favorite shop to buy spices for venison sausage. He wrapped up the long Sunday -- which he typically takes off to spend in Janesville with his family – speaking at the Annual Columbus Day Dinner hosted by the Italian American Society of Kenosha. He has missed the event only once during his time as a congressman.

    "In 14 years – we were just reciting this – I missed this dinner once and it was because of our final Lamaze class in 2001. And my boss made me go to Lamaze," Ryan said at the dinner, referring to his wife.

    Monday, the VP nominee will hold two events in Ohio and Michigan, which will likely be the last times Ryan will appear in public before the only vice presidential debate of the campaign cycle.

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