Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is scheduled to make a Central Ohio pit-stop on Saturday, with recently named vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan in tow.
The campaign announced Thursday that the duo will be stopping in Powell, Ohio, just a few days short of next week’s National Republican Convention. This will be their first joint trip to Ohio, and Romney’s first visit to the Columbus area since he spoke at Otterbein University in April.
Niraj Antani, communication director of the OSU College Republicans and intern with the Romney campaign, said he sent out an email looking for volunteers for the event, and already received about 50 replies by Thursday afternoon.
“For such an early event, it shows a lot of commitment,” he said. Antani said he thinks Romney is expected to speak at about 9 a.m.
Antani also said the visit to Ohio shows how important Ohio is in the upcoming November election.
A representative from the OSU College Democrats did not immediately return requests for comment Thursday afternoon.
Romney’s last trip to the state was Aug. 14 when he visited Chillicothe, and Ryan made a separate stop on Aug. 15 to Miami University (Ohio), his alma mater, and Walsh University in North Canton.
Despite Ryan’s Ohio connection, Associated Press polls released Thursday have shown that President Barack Obama still leads 50-44 in the Ohio polls. The random survey of Ohio residents was taken earlier this month.
Obama gave a speech at Capital University in Bexley, Ohio, on Tuesday, after making a quick stop at the Ohio Union for lunch at Sloopy’s Diner. Obama spoke on student loans to a crowd of about 3,300 supporters.
