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.)
