August 13, 2012 04:56 PM UTC

Ryan Heads Straight For Colorado (With Baggage)

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• by: Colorado Pols

FOX 31’s Eli Stokols:

Newly-minted GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan will be in Colorado for a fundraiser Monday night and rally Tuesday morning in Lakewood, FOX31 Denver has learned.

After being introduced as Mitt Romney’s running mate Saturday morning in Virginia and barnstorming across that state and rallying voters in his home state of Wisconsin on Sunday, Ryan is parting ways with Romney, who’s heading to Florida Monday.

Click here to get your tickets for Ryan’s speech at Lakewood High School tomorrow–doors open at 9:00AM for this 11:00AM event, so bring a book (or a tablet–you can live Tweet the speech).

A new USA TODAY/Gallup poll out this morning suggests that Rep. Paul Ryan has his work cut out for him–not just here in Colorado, but across the country as well.

Americans don’t believe GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney hit a home run with his choice of Paul Ryan as a running mate, a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, with more of the public giving him lower marks than high ones.

Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman, is seen as only a “fair” or “poor” choice by 42% of Americans vs. 39% who think he is an “excellent” or “pretty good” vice presidential choice.

USA TODAY/Gallup Polls of registered voters after the announcements of running mates since Dick Cheney in 2000 all showed more positive reactions. Only Dan Quayle in a 1988 Harris Poll of likely voters was viewed less positively than Ryan, with 52% rating Quayle as a “fair” or “poor” vice presidential choice. The Ryan poll includes all adults, not just registered voters.

We would guess that Rep. Ryan does not appreciate comparisons to Dan Quayle. But there does seem to be something troublingly Quayle-like in the reception of Ryan by the public so far, underscored by the results of this latest poll. Ryan is viewed enthusiastically by Republicans, who say they are more likely to vote for Mitt Romney as a result–this is significant after polls have persistently shown a lack of enthusiasm among Republicans for Romney.

For everyone else, there’s Ryan’s record. Politico:

Last spring when Ryan unveiled his budget proposal, which proposed changing Medicare to a private program with government subsidies, pollsters jumped to see what Americans thought.

A flurry of polls showed a majority or at least a plurality of voters didn’t like Ryan’s idea. Among the elderly, it was wildly unpopular…

And something for Lakewood soccer moms, Washington Post:

Ryan is a co-sponsor of the Sanctity of Human Life Act, which defines a fertilized egg as a human being – similar to recent “personhood” efforts in a handful of states. He also won his seat in 1998 by running to his opponent’s right on abortion and emphasizing no exceptions.

Read this weekend’s post from NARAL Pro Choice Colorado for more on Ryan and “Personhood.” As you can see, Ryan’s addition to this race adds an interesting dynamic, particularly with regard to issues and campaigns already taking shape in Colorado.

But there’s little sign yet it’s a winning dynamic.