JANESVILLE (WKOW) -- Volunteers who have been making thousands of calls on behalf of the Romney-Ryan campaign got a treat Friday when members of the Romney and Ryan families stopped by to talk about the election and the candidates' personal side.
Paul Ryan's wife, Janna, chatted with some of those in attendance and Ryan's brother, Tobin, spoke to the assembled group.
The main speaker was Tagg Romney, the eldest son of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. He told those gathered he thought his father could still win Wisconsin in the November 6 general election, despite the last two surveys of Wisconsin voters showing President Obama with a double-digit lead in the Badger State.
"Maybe I'm too much of an optimist," Tagg Romney told 27 News. "I think we'll win. I think we'll win big. I think we'll win all across the Midwest. I think we'll win Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio."
Three recent polls from Michigan also show the President with a double-digit lead there, with Ohio remaining very tight in recent polling.
Republicans continue to try and capitalize on momentum they feel they gained with Mitt Romney's Wednesday night debate performance.
"How do you think he(his dad) did Wednesday?," Tagg Romney asked the crowd, bringing cheers in response.
But new employment numbers released Friday morning may have dulled some of the Republican enthusiasm. They show the U.S. unemployment rate dropped sharply from 8.1 percent to 7.8 percent, it's lowest level since the month President Obama took office in January 2009.
"It's not just the jobless rate," Tagg Romney told 27 News. "It's real income has fallen by $4,000 for the average family. People who want better jobs are stuck in part-time work."
Still, it's positive economic news for President Obama when the Romney campaign has made attacking the President on the economy a cornerstone of their efforts.
The new numbers also show the unemployment rate fell because more people were working, not because discouraged job seekers stopped looking.
Adding to the positive news, job gains were revised upward by 40,000 for July (to 181,000) and by 46,000 for August (to 142,000).
Tagg Romney
