Ryan rallies NC supporters, attends fundraiser

RALEIGH -- Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is spending the night in Fayetteville after a day of campaigning and fundraising in Raleigh Wednesday.

Smiling children greeted Ryan at a lemonade stand in Raleigh's Williamsborough neighborhood before a fundraiser at the home of John Kane, who is a prominent North Raleigh developer.

Kane told ABC11 that he supports Congressman Ryan's vision for America.

"We've got to get the government out of our business and let business people be motivated to employ and take risk," said Kane.

Donors to the event paid between $2,500 and $25,000.

Earlier in the day, Ryan delivered a more personalized version of that message to more than 1,000 supporters at a sheet metal company in Brier Creek.

"Our rights come from God and nature and not from government," said Ryan. "We come first, before government as individual people."

He said President Obama can't run on his record, so he's resorted to negative campaigning.

"Hope and change is now attack and blame," said Ryan. "We'll get this country back on track."

Ryan, who is a social conservative, believes in minimal federal intervention in the economy. He also spoke about repealing the Affordable Care Act -- calling Mitt Romney the man to the lead the charge.

The message lit up the Republican base.

"We need him to be the CFO of our country," said Janie Wagstaff of Ryan. "Romney will be the CEO."

It's a message Ryan will take to a defense industry roundtable at the Partnership for Defense Innovation in Fayetteville Thursday morning.

Ryan's visit Wednesday was met by some protests. Outside his appearance at SMT Inc, one woman held up a sign with the words "rape is rape," a reference to comments by Missouri Congressman Todd Akin who suggested that women who had been subjected to "legitimate rape" would be able to physically resist becoming pregnant.

Ryan has publically urged Akin to abandon his bid for the U.S. Senate following the comment, but Akin has refused.

Ryan told reporters aboard his campaign plane Wednesday that he's proud of his anti-abortion record in the House and has no regrets about sponsoring legislation, with Akin, to permanently prohibit taxpayer funding for abortion except in cases of incest or, quote, "forcible" rape.

Ryan steered clear of the controversy in his public comments Wednesday, instead hammering President Obama on the state of the economy.

"We will turn out like Europe if we stick to these European policies," said Ryan.

Several liberal-leaning groups -- including MoveOn.org and the state AFL-CIO -- held their own rallies Wednesday outside the Raleigh fundraiser to protest Ryan's views on Medicare and taxes.

North Carolina is one of two states where President Barack Obama put electoral votes in the Democratic column in 2008 for the first time in decades. Republicans hope to turn that around this year.

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