Paul Ryan Endorses Romney Ahead of Wisconsin Primary GREEN BAY, Wis. - Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin on Friday endorsed the presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney, becoming the latest Republican leader to urge the party to coalesce behind Mr. Romney and begin to confront President Obama. "I think he deserves to be the nominee," Mr. Ryan told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. I think he earned it. He has emerged as the best candidate. The endorsement from Mr. Ryan comes four days before the Wisconsin primary, a contest in which Mr. Romney is trying to solidify his dominance over Rick Santorum. Mr. Ryan told The New York Times in an interview this week that "most people are really starting to turn their eye to the prize in November." In throwing his support behind Mr. Romney, Mr. Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, joined a growing list of the Republican establishment that has begun coalescing around Mr. Romney's candidacy in recent days. On Thursday, former President George H. W. Bush officially endorsed Mr. Romney in Houston, reciting - but not actually singing - the lyrics from Kenny Rogers's song "The Gambler." "You got to know when to hold "em, know when to fold "em," Mr. Bush said, borrowing from the song at the urging of his wife, Barbara. I think it's time for people to all get behind this good man. On Wednesday, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida announced his support for Mr. Romney on Fox News's "Hannity," and the week before, one of Mr. Bush's sons, Jeb, the former governor of Florida, also endorsed Mr. Romney. Mr. Ryan was head of the Republican National Committee's 2012 Presidential Trust - a general election fund - but his duties came to a close on Thursday, freeing him up to endorse a candidate. "The R.N.C."s Presidential Trust, chaired by Congressman Paul Ryan, is now fully funded, putting Republicans one step closer to winning the White House in November," said Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman, in a statement on Thursday. I want to thank Congressman Ryan, who has been instrumental in this effort, for his outstanding work. In many ways, Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan have been on the same page for some time. When Mr. Romney unveiled a detailed plan to cut government spending and lower the federal debt in November, his ideas bore similarities to the Mr. Ryan's budget plan, which Republicans pushed through the House on Thursday. Mr. Romney's proposal for Medicare is similar to the one in the Ryan plan, offering beneficiaries the option of enrolling in private health care plans, using what both he and Mr. Ryan call a "premium support system." But Mr. Romney's plan would also allow older people to continue on traditional Medicare as one of their choices. On "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Tuesday night, Mr. Romney, when asked to talk about potential vice presidential candidates, called Mr. Ryan "creative."