The addition of Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan to the GOP ticket has sparked new growth for Mitt Romney’s campaign, having seen drastic increases in fundraising, volunteers and its social media followers.
In the one week since the announcement naming Ryan as Romney’s running mate the campaign has raised more than $10 million dollars, perhaps proof enough that the Wisconsion Rep. was the right choice for the job. Republicans have dubbed their ticket as “America’s Comeback Team.”
“It’s clear that his choice has reshaped the race in a positive way,” wrote Matt Rhoades, Romney campaign manager. “The Obama team’s vitriol is a sure sign that they’re rattled by the pick.”
Romney’s camp released a campaign memo Friday, detailing the success seen since Ryan came aboard as vice president hopeful. Online donations brought in roughly $10.2 million following Saturday’s announcement, contributed by 124,800 donors, with more than two-thirds of the contributors making first time donations. Together, Romney and Ryan gained almost 1.4 million Facebook fans and 172,000 Twitter followers during the week. Finally, over 45,000 campaign volunteers signed up via the web.
“Voters in the swing states believe that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have a better plan than Barack Obama and Joe Biden ‘to reduce the deficit, create jobs and get the economy moving,’” Rhoades said via the memo. “While President Obama’s team continues its campaign of frustration and division to distract voters from his failed record, the Romney-Ryan team will continue offering solutions to the challenges facing our nation.”
While Ryan’s arrival in the presidential race has kept the GOP candidates on top of the news reel, nationwide polls haven’t seen as large of an impact. Still, Romney leads President Barack Obama 47 percent to 45 percent in the most recent Gallup survey figures. Ryan’s initial ratings are the lowest of any vice president choice since 1988, suggesting that voters are still relatively unfamiliar with him.
