Ryan vs. Biden: How do they match up?

Ryan vs. Biden: How do they match up?:

In the fight for the White House, the undercard should be nearly as hard-hitting as the main event.

Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney’s newly-minted choice as running mate, will square off with Vice President Biden in an Oct. 11 debate and tangle on the campaign trail all fall long.

Both men are strong campaigners and articulate defenders of their bosses’ visions, and each bring certain strengths and weaknesses to their respective tickets.

A look at how they match up:

Age : Biden, featuring a dazzling smile, is a distinguished-looking 69 years old while Ryan is a boyish and handsome 42.

Families: Both men are married. Biden has four adult children - including Beau, Delaware’s attorney general - while Ryan has three young kids.

Religion: Both men are Roman Catholic.

Personal hardship: Ryan’s father died when he was just 16. Biden’s first wife and one-year-old daughter were killed in a 1972 car crash that also critically injured his two young sons.

Experience: Ryan has represented Wisconsin in Congress for 12 years. He is the Chairperson of the powerful House Budget Committee. Biden, hailing from Delaware, served 26 years in the Senate and chaired the Committee on Foreign Relations before being picked as President Obama’s running mate.

Strengths: Ryan, who boasts a low-key charisma, is wildly popular among the GOP conservative base. His budget proposals will focus the election on the struggling economy. Biden has strong foreign policy credentials, appeals to working-class voters and is a forceful stump speaker.

Weaknesses: Ryan’s budget proposal guts some social services, including Medicare. It has been painted as “anti-middle class” by Democrats and does not poll well. Biden is prone to embarrassing gaffes while speaking and is considered even more of a Washington insider than Ryan.

Impact on the electoral map: Ryan could help deliver his home state of Wisconsin and his working-class roots could play well throughout Midwest swing states. However, his cuts to Medicare could alienate seniors in the swing state of Florida. Biden’s blue-collar appeal is popular with laborers and union workers in Rust Belt states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

(Via NYDailyNews.com