Republican VP nominee Paul Ryan pays a visit to NC

Trading his suit for a casual polo and slacks, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan captured the admiration of an animated crowd in Raleigh on Wednesday.

Ryan, a U.S. representative from Wisconsin, returned to North Carolina days after he and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney visited Mooresville and High Point.

Attendees at the rally said Ryan’s youth and charisma bolsters Romney’s campaign and could energize GOP voters in battleground states such as North Carolina.

“He’s brilliant, and he’s an intellectual powerhouse,” said Terri Haag, of Raleigh. “What more could you ask for?”

Rose McCreery, of Raleigh, agreed with Haag.

“He’s pro-life, and he’s got all the right morals,” she said. “He’s also capable of working with both sides.”

Ryan addressed several hundred supporters at SMT Inc., a Raleigh-based sheet metal fabrication company. The free event reached capacity about 25 minutes before the start.

Much of Ryan’s speech focused on fiscal policy, including promises to curtail government spending and complete an overhaul of the nation’s tax code.

“President (Barack) Obama and the words ‘fiscal responsibility’ do not belong in the same sentence,” Ryan said at the speech.

Ryan is the chairman of the U.S. House budget committee.

Nashville, N.C., resident Andrew Pardue, who will begin his freshman year at Harvard University this fall, said fiscal policy will make the difference in the election.

“(Ryan) highlights the battles between the president and Congress over budgetary issues, and he offers a way to fix them,” he said.

A deafening roar ensued when Ryan reiterated his vow to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Obama’s signature health care legislation.

The GOP promise of overturning the act has convinced former Democrat Margie Cerrillos, now an independent voter of Cary, to vote Republican this November.

Standing next to a “Hispanics For Romney-Ryan” sign, Cerrillos said people need to depend less on government — as her parents, who immigrated from Mexico, strove to do.

“Everyone should have health care, but (the current administration) is going about it the wrong way,” she said.

Addressing North Carolina’s 9.6 percent unemployment rate, Ryan said his ticket’s plan will eventually create 12 million jobs nationwide, with an estimated 355,000 jobs in the state.

Ryan made no mention of Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., a Senate candidate who made a controversial statement Sunday suggesting women will not get pregnant after a “legitimate rape.” But the issue didn’t escape notice at the event.

Protesters — including Planned Parenthood, MoveOn, and Progress N.C. — held signs and chanted outside the venue.

Katy Munger, of Progress N.C., said she was concerned about the Republican stance on women’s health.

“In our opinion, rape is rape,” she said, referring to Akin’s comments.

Both Romney and Ryan have voiced disapproval of Akin’s statement.

Contact the desk editor at state@dailytarheel.com.