Ryan Wins Re-Election: Despite Failed VP Bid, A Victory In Wisconsin
Mitt Romney may have lost his bid for the presidency on Tuesday night, but the evening wasn't a total wash for his running mate Paul Ryan.
Ryan won't be the next vice president of the United States, but he did successfully win the election in his home state of Wisconsin for his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
With 55 percent of the vote across Wisconsin, Ryan triumphed over his two opponents, Democratic candidate Rob Zerban and Libertarian Keith Deschler.
Zerban, Ryan's chief competitor, tried unsuccessfully for weeks to get Ryan to agree to a debate with him. Instead, Ryan spent most of the election cycle traveling the country and focusing on his vice presidential hopes.
Despite his distance from the race and from Wisconsin during the race, Ryan's fundraising machine was in overdrive, and he gathered more than double the money his opponent was able to collect. Ryan raised a total of $4.9 million for his re-election campaign, while Zerban's campaign raised only $2.1 million over the course of election season.
Ryan put out a statement following his and Romney's defeat by Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The congressman said he intends to take some time off following the election before he returns to his duties in the nation's capital.
"I look forward to spending some time with my family in the coming days and then continuing my responsibilities as chairman of the House Budget Committee and representative of Wisconsin's First Congressional District," Ryan said in the statement.
Though the presidential race seemed to be neck and neck leading up to the election, Obama managed a quick and decisive victory over his Republican challengers.
With most of the results in and only Florida still too close to call as of Wednesday evening, Obama stands at 303 electoral votes, which easily took him past the 270-vote requirement to win the White House. Romney lagged behind significantly, with the GOP nominee pulling in 206 electoral votes.
CLICK HERE to check out CNN's electoral map and analysis of the results of the 2012 presidential election.
