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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- The second half of the Republican ticket started a two-day tour of Colorado with a rally in Colorado Springs Sunday.
Congressman Paul Ryan brought a crowd of around 1,000 enthusiastic voters to a hangar at the Colorado Jet Center near Colorado Springs Municipal Airport.

The theme of the day: Washington needs new leadership.

Ryan explained, "The president just can't run on his record," adding that a leader cannot expect extra time in office when little change has been seen in his first term.
"The President himself acknowledged on T.V. a few weeks ago that he can't change Washington from the inside. Isn't that why we have presidents? If he can't change Washington ... Then I say we change presidents," he said.

The V.P. Nominee made a plea to all Colorado voters. He said this is an election in which one vote can decide, and Colorado's close race and 9 electoral votes could be the difference. Specifically in Colorado Springs, Ryan said military families need Mitt Romney in office to avoid looming cuts.

"We have the third round of defense cuts coming. This sequestration could cost us 18,000 jobs in Colorado alone," he explained.

Ryan ended his rally with a promise to voters giving their support. He detailed responsibility and leadership, as two qualities he sees as key differences between the Romney/Ryan and Obama/Biden tickets.

"We are not going to duck these tough issues. We are not going to kick the can down the road. We are going to lead. We are not going to spend the next four years blaming others. We are going to take responsibility and fix ths mess in Washington," he said.

Ryan's visit to Colorado takes him to Pueblo West tomorrow for a rally at Vision Mechanical on Laser Drive. You do need to get tickets for that event.