Ryan visits state to back Hutchinson

BENTON — Republican gubernatorial nominee Asa Hutchinson is “the perfect kind of partner that we need to better fight poverty,” U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the Republican vice presidential candidate in 2012, said Wednesday before speaking to about 300 people at a fundraiser for Hutchinson.

Ryan said Hutchinson would focus on results “so we can give the hardworking taxpayers of Arkansas and all across the country more value for their money, so they know that we are putting their money to work to actually help people get out of poverty, get onto a life of self-sufficiency.”

He said Hutchinson is a man of principle who stands up for what he believes in, “but more importantly, he is a man of know-how and knows how to get things done, and that’s the kind of cando people we need to be our governors.”

Hutchinson of Rogers is a former 3rd District congressman and federal homeland security undersecretary.

Ryan said he served with Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mike Ross of Little Rock in Congress, and Ross “helped give [Democratic U.S. Rep.] Nancy Pelosi the gavel” as U.S. House speaker and “helped make sure that Obamacare is the law of the land.

“I don’t think that’s the kind of person we want running our state governments,” Ryan told reporters at a news conference.

Ross, who is a former 4th District congressman, has repeatedly pointed out that he voted against the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010, which is often called Obamacare.

Ross spokesman Brad Howard said it “makes perfect sense for Congressman Ryan to endorse Congressman Hutchinson since both want to privatize Social Security and gamble Arkansas seniors’ hard-earned benefits on Wall Street.

“While Congressman Hutchinson stands with his Washington and Wall Street allies that are bankrolling his campaign, Mike Ross proudly stands with Arkansas seniors and will fight for them as governor,” Howard said in a written statement.

Ryan said he doesn’t support privatizing Social Security, which “is giving people their FICA taxes and letting them go on their own.”

“I’ve supported reforms that give younger workers a voluntary option of having some of their money go into the thrift savings plan, like all members of Congress and federal employees have, managed by Social Security as an option for younger people,” he said. “Every budget or plan I have every supported guarantees Social Security is there as it is right now for everybody who is in or near retirement.”

Hutchinson spokesman J.R. Davis said Thursday that he doesn’t have exact figures on the amount of money raised at Wednesday’s fundraiser because “it was more of a get-out-the-vote/grassroots” event.

Ryan also held a joint fundraiser Thursday in Little Rock for Republican congressional candidates French Hill of Little Rock and Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs, Westerman spokesman Ken Ryan James said. Information about how much each candidate raised was not available through their campaigns.

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