Many Republican convention-goers in Tampa are thrilled to be nominating Paul Ryan, and his running mate Mitt Romney — in that order.
Many attendees are gushing over the House Budget Committee chairman in a way that might suggest he, not the former Massachusetts governor, is the main event in Tampa.
The Romney campaign has already been lowering post-convention expectations, warning supporters not to expect a huge bump after Tampa.
But expectations are high for Ryan, who’s nabbing more attention than the top of the ticket.
Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy told a California paper in his district that adding Ryan to the ticket was generating excitement at the convention. “It’s always a great deal of excitement, especially having the nomination and having Paul Ryan be the VP,” he said.
Ryan “energized the ticket,” Texas Delegate Denise McNamara told the Dallas Morning News. “[I]t just shows that [Romney] is such a good leader that he will surround himself with strong and capable people.”
Anecdotes aside, a new poll released by the Pew Research Center Monday showed slightly more Americans interested in Ryan’s big speech (46 percent) than in Romney’s (44 percent). (Both nominees’ speeches were a lower priority than learning about the GOP’s platform.)
Pema Levy
Pema Levy is a News Writer at TPM covering the 2012 election. Before coming to TPM, Pema was an assistant editor at The American Prospect where she wrote about politics and the economy.
Disqus Conversations
Click here to read the Disqus Commenting FAQ.