Road to the White House runs through Ohio

CLEVELAND - A Republican presidential candidate has never become president without first winning the state of Ohio. That's why many political experts speculated that Ohio Senator Rob Portman had a good chance of becoming Mitt Romney's vice presidential pick. But when Romney announced on Saturday that he picked Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, some speculated that Romney would try to get to the White House without Ohio.

"I would make the opposite argument," said NewsChannel5 political analyst Tom Sutton. "His budget ideas, his tax ideas mirror what Governor Kasich has enacted in Ohio."

Ryan has ties to Ohio. He graduated from Miami University.

Reaction from voters so far is mixed on Ryan.

"It sounds to me, based on what I'm reading, that he is weak," said Bob Brown.

"He's an Irish Catholic boy named Ryan. It will work well in Cleveland and other areas," thinks Shawn Ryan.

"Honestly, I didn't know much about the guy until it was announced, so it was a surprise," said Will Kesling.

Only time will tell.