Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan’s move on to the presidential tickets is creating a windfall of volunteers in his home county. Rock County GOP Chairman Jay Mielke says having the Janesville native on the national political stage has greatly increased involvement in campaigning efforts over the past week.
Mielke says “ever since the announcement that Paul Ryan would be on the ticket with Romney, there’s been a huge uptick in volunteer interest.” He adds that there’s also been a large increase in calls from individual asking how they can help with the campaign effort.
AUDIO: Jay Mielke (:21)
Mielke says they are trying to make use of the surge in volunteers by reaching out to voters and going door-to-door in the district. He says it’s their mission to make face-to-face contact with as many voters as possible before November.
Wisconsin could be in play for this fall. Even though the Badger State has not gone to a Republican since 1984, Mielke thinks Ryan’s presence in the race changes everything. If Republicans can spread their message, he believes there’s no telling what could happen.
Jon Meerdink, WCLO