By JESSA LEWIS
6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - After weeks of anticipation, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney officially announced his running mate Saturday, head of the House Budget Committee, Rep. Paul Ryan.
"Today, we take another step forward in helping restore the promise of America as we move forward in this campaign and on to help lead the nation to better days. It's an honor to announce my running mate and the next Vice President of the United States, Paul Ryan!" said presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
"I'm excited for what lies ahead and I'm thrilled to be a part of America's Comeback Team. And together, we will unite America and get this done," said Rep. Paul Ryan.
Members of the Knox County Romney campaign are excited about the news. "I can speak for most conservatives where he's a great pick, he's bold, he's intellectual, and he's fearless and so we're really excited about him as our future vice president," said Romney Knox County Campaign Director Alexander Waters.
Gloria Johnson, the chair of the Knox County Democratic Party says the pick surprised her.
"I was a little surprised at the choice of Paul Ryan, quite frankly. I just didn't really think that was a - if I was Romney, I don't think that's the direction I would have gone, but I'm sure he knows more about that than I do," explained Johnson.
Voters had mixed views about the announcement of Romney's running mate. "I mean, I guess you could say I was a little surprised, because there were a lot of people being considered as far as I knew. I knew at one point a few weeks ago, Condoleezza Rice was one of those people, which I thought would have been a good pick," said Elizabeth Johnson.
"It didn't really surprise me because he had always been on the short list all along for the last several months and he was a name that kept surfacing so it wasn't really a surprise," said Glenn Laiken.
The Democratic Party in Knox County says they won't change their plan of attack. "Giving tax relief to the middle class, and making sure that we are helping working families and benefiting working families and we're going to stick to that message and that's going to be a winning message," added Gloria Johnson.
The GOP Convention is scheduled for August 27-30 in Tampa. That's when the party will make official their candidate for presidency.
Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney announces Rep. Paul Ryan.
