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| Paul Ryan votes in Janesville and casts surprised residents in media spotlight | Paul Ryan votes in Janesville and casts surprised residents in media spotlight |
| (7 days later) | |
| It's one thing to roll out of bed on election day and head straight for the polling station after dropping the kids at school without a thought to what you've got on. It's another when you vote in Janesville, Paul Ryan's hometown, and there are enough television cameras trained on the line as a red carpet runway. | It's one thing to roll out of bed on election day and head straight for the polling station after dropping the kids at school without a thought to what you've got on. It's another when you vote in Janesville, Paul Ryan's hometown, and there are enough television cameras trained on the line as a red carpet runway. |
| "All of a sudden there was a bunch of cameras set up," said Melissa Crider, mother of five, who turned up to vote with her equally flummoxed friend Amy Tomlin. "I thought to myself: 'I didn't sign up for his. Maybe I should just go back in line and wait'." | "All of a sudden there was a bunch of cameras set up," said Melissa Crider, mother of five, who turned up to vote with her equally flummoxed friend Amy Tomlin. "I thought to myself: 'I didn't sign up for his. Maybe I should just go back in line and wait'." |
| "If I'd know he was going to be here I definitely would not have come dressed in the clothes I dropped the kids off to school in," said Tomlin. | "If I'd know he was going to be here I definitely would not have come dressed in the clothes I dropped the kids off to school in," said Tomlin. |
| There was already a sizeable line in front of the room set aside for voting at the Janesville public library when Paul Ryan turned up to cast his vote a little before 9am: Crider and Tomlin, a nun who later exited the library with a DVD of the Wizard of Oz tucked under arm and two women arguing loudly and angrily about the various merits of contestants on last night's edition of The Voice. | There was already a sizeable line in front of the room set aside for voting at the Janesville public library when Paul Ryan turned up to cast his vote a little before 9am: Crider and Tomlin, a nun who later exited the library with a DVD of the Wizard of Oz tucked under arm and two women arguing loudly and angrily about the various merits of contestants on last night's edition of The Voice. |
| Ryan, who is running for re-election to his seat in Congress as well as for vice-president, went straight to the front of the line – not that Crider held it against him. "To be honest, he seemed a little embarrassed by it," she said. "I think he was blushing," Tomlin said. | Ryan, who is running for re-election to his seat in Congress as well as for vice-president, went straight to the front of the line – not that Crider held it against him. "To be honest, he seemed a little embarrassed by it," she said. "I think he was blushing," Tomlin said. |
| The near-encounter might have been even more awkward if Ryan knew that Crider, who lives around the corner, didn't vote for him or Mitt Romney. | The near-encounter might have been even more awkward if Ryan knew that Crider, who lives around the corner, didn't vote for him or Mitt Romney. |
| Crider, a stay-at-home mother of five, says she was put off by the Republicans' positions on health care and women's issues. | Crider, a stay-at-home mother of five, says she was put off by the Republicans' positions on health care and women's issues. |
| Ryan's district trends Democratic in presidential elections, especially urban areas like Janesville, but he has always carried his home town since he was first elected to Congress in 1998. | Ryan's district trends Democratic in presidential elections, especially urban areas like Janesville, but he has always carried his home town since he was first elected to Congress in 1998. |
| It seemed this morning though that slightly more people were voting Democratic rather than Republican. | It seemed this morning though that slightly more people were voting Democratic rather than Republican. |
| A few who did vote Republican said they knew Ryan personally or had been helped by his congressional office. | A few who did vote Republican said they knew Ryan personally or had been helped by his congressional office. |
| Laurence Fry, a retired manager, said he was grateful that Ryan's office helped arrange a visit to the Capitol when he and his wife visited Washington some years ago. | Laurence Fry, a retired manager, said he was grateful that Ryan's office helped arrange a visit to the Capitol when he and his wife visited Washington some years ago. |
| Carolyn Klukas, who works in customer relations at a dentist's office, switched from Obama in 2008 to Romney this time but she said Ryan had nothing to do with it. | Carolyn Klukas, who works in customer relations at a dentist's office, switched from Obama in 2008 to Romney this time but she said Ryan had nothing to do with it. |
| "The last four years have been pretty stagnant, she said. "I think Obama's a nice guy but he is not doing a good job as president." She can't point to a specific reason for her disappointment, just a sense that Obama was not doing enough. "I just think he has been too laid back, not strong enough," she said. | "The last four years have been pretty stagnant, she said. "I think Obama's a nice guy but he is not doing a good job as president." She can't point to a specific reason for her disappointment, just a sense that Obama was not doing enough. "I just think he has been too laid back, not strong enough," she said. |
| Ryan is only spending a few hours in Wisconsin before a bout of last-minute campaigning. He told reporters he was really excited to spent Monday night in his home time, and he was confident about the elections. "I feel good," he said. "We're going to win." | Ryan is only spending a few hours in Wisconsin before a bout of last-minute campaigning. He told reporters he was really excited to spent Monday night in his home time, and he was confident about the elections. "I feel good," he said. "We're going to win." |
| In Janesville at least, that's pretty much guaranteed. "You could definitely tell that there were some people in line who had a very favourable impression of him and were happy to see him, and there were other people who let's just say were not going to be voting for him," said Thomas McDonald, who has served on Janesville city council in the past. But he said that some independent voters would be swayed to vote Republican, specifically because Ryan was on the ticket. | In Janesville at least, that's pretty much guaranteed. "You could definitely tell that there were some people in line who had a very favourable impression of him and were happy to see him, and there were other people who let's just say were not going to be voting for him," said Thomas McDonald, who has served on Janesville city council in the past. But he said that some independent voters would be swayed to vote Republican, specifically because Ryan was on the ticket. |
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