Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's running mate Paul Ryan made a brief stop in La Crosse Tuesday to rally support for Superstorm Sandy relief. Both President Obama and Gov. Romney put campaigning on hold while Sandy tears through the East Coast. Republican leaders billed Congressman Ryan’s event in La Crosse as a food drive, not a campaign event. While the stop lasted less than ten minutes, state and national Republican leaders also attended. Local party volunteers and candidates gathered around food and boxes that will eventually be sent to the American Red Cross in New Jersey. With cameras flashing, Ryan thanked the crowd for putting the care packages together, “We’re doing this in Victory Centers around the country, especially in the East Coast. Gov. Romney’s talked to a number a number of governors in the area. That’s why today is a day where we’re bringing together American’s donations and packages and sending them on.” Ryan also encouraged supporters to donate money and blood to the American Red Cross. Romney-Ryan supporters didn’t seem deterred by the stop’s briefness. UW-La Crosse student Amanda Barfknecht donated soup and noodles to the food drive. She says she’s glad Ryan made it to the western side of the state, “Aside from politicalness, I think it shows how great Romney and Ryan really are and how our country could really use them.” Mitt Romney canceled a campaign rally in Milwaukee scheduled for Tuesday night. President Obama was schedule to be in Green Bay today for a campaign event, but also canceled the stop due to the storm.
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