Paul Ryan Vice President: 11 Quirky Facts About Paul Ryan

Impact

Mitt Romney has officially selected Rep. Paul Ryan to be his running mate. With an official Romney/Ryan ticket, America has a new political figure to get to know. Here are some quirky facts about the fitness freak and Ayn Rand fan. 

While in college, Paul Ryan worked for Oscar Meyer, he even drove the weinermobile.

2. Works out like a wild man

A former personal trainer, Ryan leads P90X classes for politicians. "It's a fantastic workout. Bart Stupak and I lead it every morning. There's about a dozen of us who do it." Ryan likes to keep his body fat between 6 and 8%. 

3. Reads Rand 

Ryan is a big fan of Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand. Ryan is even quoted as saying, “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.” Ryan reportedly even makes Rand's Atlas Shrugged required reading for his staff and interns.

4. Must heart Wisconsin 

Ryan, born in Janesville, Wisconsin in 1970, is a fifth-generation Wisconsin native. 

5. Owns oil

The Daily Beast reported in June 2011 that Ryan “and his wife, Janna, own stakes in four family companies that lease land in Texas and Oklahoma to the very energy companies that benefit from the tax subsidies in Ryan’s budget plan. Ryan’s father-in-law, Daniel Little, who runs the companies, told Newsweek and The Daily Beast that the family companies are currently leasing the land for mining and drilling to energy giants such as Chesapeake Energy, Devon, and XTO Energy, a recently acquired subsidiary of ExxonMobil.”

6. Takes aim

Ryan is known to be an outdoorsmen. Ryan is an avid hunter, fly fisherman, and archer, and is a member of his local archery association. 

7. Brought the young guns

The chairman of the House Budget Committee, Ryan was first elected to Congress at age 28. Ryan is now 42. 

8. Dotes as Dad

Ryan and his wife Janna have three young children Liza, Charlie, and Sam. 

9.  Keeps it classic 

Ryan is known to put his headphones on around Capitol Hill to keep out the drone of reporters. He favors classic rock, like Led Zeppelin, and classical, like Beethoven. 

10. Brotherly love

Ryan is not only the youngest of four children, he extended his brother status while attending Miami University by becoming a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity.  

11. Has a way with words

Ryan began his career as a speechwriter for Jack Kemp’s and William Bennet’s “Empower America” organization, a conservative nonprofit.