DES MOINES, Iowa, (Reuters) – Republican Paul Ryan got a taste of the rough side of a presidential campaign on Monday when protesters heckled him and President Barack Obama accused him of blocking emergency aid to drought-hit farmers.
The new vice presidential hopeful from Wisconsin – who brings Midwestern credibility to White House hopeful Mitt Romney’s campaign – mingled with locals at the Iowa State Fair, a popular spot for politicians keen to show their common touch in a state where Obama and Romney will be in tight competition.
Dressed in a checked shirt, Ryan bantered with fairgoers but his first solo campaign speech was interrupted by a small group of demonstrators.
In chaotic scenes, hecklers standing at the front of a large pro-Ryan crowd shouted “Stop the war against the common good,” prompting Republicans to shout back and swear at them.
One of the protesters rushed onto the small stage where Ryan was speaking. She was grabbed by three state troopers. Police said one of the protesters punched a volunteer fair worker.
“It’s funny because Iowans and Wisconsinites, we like to be respectful of one another, and peaceful of one another and listen to one another,” Ryan said. “These ladies must not be from Iowa or Wisconsin.”
A hero to conservatives, Ryan has given Romney’s campaign a jolt of energy after several difficult weeks marked by gaffes and persistent questions about his personal finances.
But the Republican effort to win back the White House received no immediate poll boost from Saturday’s announcement of Ryan as the vice presidential running mate, according to a Reuters/Ipsos online survey.
Some 51 percent of those surveyed said the decision did not change their opinion of Romney, a former private-equity executive and Massachusetts governor who faces Obama in the Nov. 6 election.
