BEALLSVILLE, Ohio (AP) — A man who was considered for the number-two slot on the Republican ticket will be trying to give Mitt Romney a boost today in the all-important state of Ohio.
Sen. Rob Portman will be appearing with Romney as the GOP candidate makes three appearances in the Buckeye State.
The Republicans are looking to move past questions about running mate Paul Ryan's plan to overhaul Medicare. Campaign officials say Romney and Ryan will both be focusing on energy issues today.
Romney has been praising Ryan's work on Medicare, saying it's necessary to protect the long-term survival of the health insurance program for the elderly. Speaking in Florida -- the state with the highest percentage of residents 65 and older -- Romney said yesterday that Ryan has ideas that are "very different than the president's," and that cutting Medicare by $700 billion is "not the right answer."
But Ryan himself has produced plans in the past two years as chairman of the House Budget Committee that include the $700 billion in Medicare cuts, even as they call for the repeal of Obama's health care plan.
Romney's staff says he favors a plan to restore the $700 billion in cuts.
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029-w-36-(Jerry Bodlander, AP correspondent, with Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate)--Mitt Romney winds up his bus tour with a day of campaigning in Ohio. AP correspondent Jerry Bodlander reports. (14 Aug 2012)
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GRAPHICSBANK: Mitt ROMNEY: BELIEVE IN AMERICA campaign logo, graphic element on white (13 Aug 2012)
APPHOTO FLJC107: Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addresses supporters during a campaign stop in Miami, Monday, Aug. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter) (13 Aug 2012)
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