(FOXNEWS) — Mitt Romney announced Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate Saturday, selecting the Republican Party's go-to man on budget issues in a decision that signals the campaign will make the nation's spiraling debt a centerpiece of its attacks on President Obama.
Romney made the selection official during a campaign stop Saturday morning in Norfolk, Va., before launching a four-day bus tour.
The Republican presidential candidate stressed his new running mate's "steadiness" and "integrity." Speaking Saturday morning, Romney praised Ryan as an "intellectual leader" of the party, one who understands the toll the debt is taking on the country but is optimistic about the future.