Marco Rubio Calls Paul Ryan VP Choice 'Truly Inspired'

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, considered for many months a vice presidential possibility, praised Mitt Romney's selection of Rep. Paul Ryan as his running rate.

"Throughout his life, Mitt Romney has made great decisions, and choosing Paul Ryan as his running mate is a truly inspired choice," said Rubio in a written statement. "I got to know Paul during my Senate campaign when he endorsed me early on when I was still considered a long shot. Paul Ryan is a courageous reformer who understands our nations challenges, has proposed bold policy solutions to solve them, and has shown the courage to stand up to President Obama and other Washington politicians trying to tear him down."

Romney unveiled Ryan as his choice early Saturday morning, a move that comes at the end of an intense selection process and is likely to shake up a mired presidential race.

Romney sent out the announcement, which began to leak early this morning, through a smart-phone application, alerting supporters simply: Mitts Choice for VP is Paul Ryan.

According to Boston.com, Romney and Ryan are slated to appear together on the Norfolk, Va., waterfront, with the USS Wisconsin serving as the backdrop. Lines formed in the early hours of the morning, with supporters snaking around the Nauticus Museum where the announcement was scheduled to take place.

Romneys campaign also sent out a press release branding Romney and Ryan as Americas Comeback Team and providing a brief biography of Ryan, who has been a prominent seven-term congressman but is also relatively untested on the national stage.

In his statement, Rubio concluded by saying, "The Romney-Ryan ticket is going to win in November because it offers the American people visionary leadership to recapture the free-enterprise spirit that has empowered countless Americans to build businesses from scratch and live the American dream. Im excited about the visionary change a Romney-Ryan team will bring to Washington, and I look forward to campaigning with them this fall.