The reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand. The fight we are in here, make no mistake about it, is a fight of individualism versus collectivism.

Ryan voted in favor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in 2007. The House passed this Ryan Plan on April 15 2011 by a vote of 235–193. Kemp became Ryan's mentor and Ryan cites him as a "huge influence.

Ryan was officially nominated at the Republican convention in Tampa on August 29 2012. He was born and raised in Janesville Wisconsin and is a graduate of Miami University in Ohio. On November 6 2012 Romney and Ryan were defeated in the general election by the incumbent Barack Obama and Joe Biden although Ryan won reelection to his congressional seat.