He pledged to “restore America” by “bringing back the values and principals of America.” He and Ryan took turns praising each other.

“I selected this man to be running mate because I want to change Washington,” Romney said. “I don’t want to be like Europe. I want to be like America.”

While touting Romney as a decisive leader, Ryan took shots at Obama.

“Now he’s turned ‘hope and change’ into ‘attack and blame,’ ” he said. “And we’re not going to fall for that.”

The rallies in Mooresville and High Point – and a homecoming event for Ryan in Wisconsin later Sunday – are probably the final times the Republican ticket will appear together on the campaign trail.

Campaign spokesman Kevin Madden told reporters traveling with the campaign that Ryan will campaign in Iowa as Romney continues the bus tour in Florida, both swing states.

Excitement in the crowd

Though critics have questioned Romney’s ability to gin up enthusiasm in his party, there seemed to be no lack of it Sunday. It was fueled not only by the newly minted ticket but by the man it’s trying to replace.

“What it shows is the discontent of the American people,” said Gary Chapman, a 65-year-old Yadkin County resident who traveled to Mooresville.

“I haven’t had this much hope in a long time,” Bill Wallin of Salisbury said as he waited to hear the candidates in Mooresville.

Romney supporters praised Ryan’s selection as a sign the team is willing to make tough decisions.

“He (Ryan) says what he’s going to do,” said Nancy Ward, 76, a retiree on Medicare. “He’s the only one who’s had the guts to produce a budget.”

In High Point, Melanie Harris called Ryan’s selection “bold (but) a little risky.”

“It shows we’re not going to avoid the hard things,” said the Greensboro psychologist. “We’re not going to play politics as usual. We have a crisis and we’re going to fix it.”

Sebastian Tilson, a 21-year-old student from Thomasville, said he likes Ryan’s ideas for Medicare and other entitlement programs, especially given forecasts that such programs could eventually run out of money.

“We can’t expect to rely on Social Security and Medicare like it is now,” he said.

“So when you get someone brave enough to propose specific solutions, you should vote for them, or at least have an intelligent conversation about those solutions.”