Romney announces Ryan as running mate

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Presumed GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney has selected Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan as his Vice Presidential running mate.

Romney's campaign made the official announcement at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. He was expected to make the announcement during an appearance at Nauticus in Norfolk Saturday morning.

The short list of candidates has consisted of Rob Portman (R-Ohio), former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Ryan. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell was considered a dark horse candidate.

Romney will be passing through four key battleground states in the coming days, including Florida, Ohio and North Carolina.

Ryan, a rising star of the Conservative Party, currently serves as chair of the House Budget Committee, and has gained attention with his "Roadmap for America's Future." Ryan would be a bold choice for the Romney campaign, appealing to a conservative core Romney may not have been able to reach without a strong fiscal conservative running mate.

Romney is quoted as saying “I’m very supportive of the Ryan budget plan. It's a bold and exciting effort on his part and on the part of the Republicans and it's very much consistent with what I put out earlier” March 20 in Chicago.