[h=3]By SARA MURRAY[/h]
Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesMitt Romney and his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan greet supporters prior to speaking during a campaign rally at Absolute Style furniture company in High Point, N.C.
MOORESVILLE, N.C.—The crowds at Romney rallies swelled to the thousands and grew more raucous in the wake of his running-mate choice--and the candidates' Midwestern roots became a major theme.
The weekend's appearances offered the first glimpse of what the Romney presidential campaign now looks like, after adding Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin to the ticket. Mr. Romney spent Saturday and Sunday basking in the bump from his new No. 2, as the duo drew crowds of thousands—not previously a regular occurrence for Mr. Romney—and were greeted with raucous applause.
"I'm really on fire about it," 52-year-old Gary Dancy said of the Republican ticket after watching Mr. Romney with Mr. Ryan at a rally here Sunday. "I think they make a really good team."
Both of the men marveled at the crowds, as they chatted with reporters Saturday evening.
"I was amazed at the energy," Mr. Ryan said. "We're going to win this campaign. We've got the wind behind us."
Messrs. Romney and Ryan have had a better rapport on the stump than any of the candidates Mr. Romney auditioned. They've used the past two days to play up both of their biographies and build a narrative that might build inroads in some coveted Midwestern states.
After an introduction here from Nascar driver Darrell Waltrip, Mr. Ryan doled out praise for his home state of Wisconsin and one of its native drivers, Matt Kenseth. "He's a Wisconsin boy too," Mr. Ryan said at the event at a Nascar technology training center.
That prompted Mr. Romney to launch into his own car stories, a byproduct of growing up in southeast Michigan as the son of an auto executive.
Standing in front of a race car emblazoned with the "Romney" logo, he gushed, "as a boy my dad made ramblers, all right? And I only dreamed of cars like that. To have my name on a car like that—it's just too much."
ReutersRomney and Ryan at a Mooresville, N.C., rally.
Mr. Romney has latched on to his running mate's life story, downplaying the idea of Mr. Ryan as a Washington veteran and instead casting him as a reformer who rose to success amid a tough-luck childhood in which his father died when he was young.
"He's worked in Washington over the past 14 years, but you know what? In his heart is still Janesville, Wis.," Mr. Romney told a crowd in Manassas, Va., Saturday. "Small-town America still defines a great man like Paul Ryan."
Dubbed the "Comeback Team," by the campaign, the two have spent relatively little time together. Mr. Romney stealthily met with him on Aug. 5 to offer him the slot. On Friday, Mr. Ryan ducked out the back door of his Janesville, Wis., home, snuck through the woods and was shuttled to the airport.
Mr. Romney and his new running mate had just ten minutes together, where they joked about adjusting to Secret Service protection, before the big announcement in front of the U.S.S. Wisconsin battleship in Norfolk, Va.
At least for now, the partnership seems to have helped both men relax. Much like Mr. Romney, Mr. Ryan is known as a nice but serious guy who doesn't always excel at glad-handing. But on the stump and with the press Saturday, both men appeared at ease as Mr. Ryan chuckled at questions about the secretive journey that ended in his announcement.
"Run through the woods?" Mr. Ryan scoffed good-naturedly. "It was more of a walk."
The public bro-mance was short-lived, however. Mr. Ryan peeled off Sunday afternoon to campaign solo and likely won't reappear alongside Mr. Romney until the late-August convention in Tampa, a campaign aide said.
Write to Sara Murray at [email protected]
MOORESVILLE, N.C.—The crowds at Romney rallies swelled to the thousands and grew more raucous in the wake of his running-mate choice--and the candidates' Midwestern roots became a major theme.
The weekend's appearances offered the first glimpse of what the Romney presidential campaign now looks like, after adding Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin to the ticket. Mr. Romney spent Saturday and Sunday basking in the bump from his new No. 2, as the duo drew crowds of thousands—not previously a regular occurrence for Mr. Romney—and were greeted with raucous applause.
"I'm really on fire about it," 52-year-old Gary Dancy said of the Republican ticket after watching Mr. Romney with Mr. Ryan at a rally here Sunday. "I think they make a really good team."
Both of the men marveled at the crowds, as they chatted with reporters Saturday evening.
"I was amazed at the energy," Mr. Ryan said. "We're going to win this campaign. We've got the wind behind us."
Messrs. Romney and Ryan have had a better rapport on the stump than any of the candidates Mr. Romney auditioned. They've used the past two days to play up both of their biographies and build a narrative that might build inroads in some coveted Midwestern states.
After an introduction here from Nascar driver Darrell Waltrip, Mr. Ryan doled out praise for his home state of Wisconsin and one of its native drivers, Matt Kenseth. "He's a Wisconsin boy too," Mr. Ryan said at the event at a Nascar technology training center.
That prompted Mr. Romney to launch into his own car stories, a byproduct of growing up in southeast Michigan as the son of an auto executive.
Standing in front of a race car emblazoned with the "Romney" logo, he gushed, "as a boy my dad made ramblers, all right? And I only dreamed of cars like that. To have my name on a car like that—it's just too much."
ReutersRomney and Ryan at a Mooresville, N.C., rally.
Mr. Romney has latched on to his running mate's life story, downplaying the idea of Mr. Ryan as a Washington veteran and instead casting him as a reformer who rose to success amid a tough-luck childhood in which his father died when he was young.
"He's worked in Washington over the past 14 years, but you know what? In his heart is still Janesville, Wis.," Mr. Romney told a crowd in Manassas, Va., Saturday. "Small-town America still defines a great man like Paul Ryan."
Dubbed the "Comeback Team," by the campaign, the two have spent relatively little time together. Mr. Romney stealthily met with him on Aug. 5 to offer him the slot. On Friday, Mr. Ryan ducked out the back door of his Janesville, Wis., home, snuck through the woods and was shuttled to the airport.
Mr. Romney and his new running mate had just ten minutes together, where they joked about adjusting to Secret Service protection, before the big announcement in front of the U.S.S. Wisconsin battleship in Norfolk, Va.
At least for now, the partnership seems to have helped both men relax. Much like Mr. Romney, Mr. Ryan is known as a nice but serious guy who doesn't always excel at glad-handing. But on the stump and with the press Saturday, both men appeared at ease as Mr. Ryan chuckled at questions about the secretive journey that ended in his announcement.
"Run through the woods?" Mr. Ryan scoffed good-naturedly. "It was more of a walk."
The public bro-mance was short-lived, however. Mr. Ryan peeled off Sunday afternoon to campaign solo and likely won't reappear alongside Mr. Romney until the late-August convention in Tampa, a campaign aide said.
Write to Sara Murray at [email protected]