Vice President Joe Biden stops in La Crosse

WLUK TV

Updated: Oct 12, 2012 5:20 PM

LA CROSSE — With his third visit to the state in less than six weeks, the second to a college campus, Vice President Joe Biden made it clear that to the Democrats, younger voters in Wisconsin could hold a key to the election.

"We need you to help us win in Wisconsin because if we win Wisconsin, we win this election,” said Biden.

In the Cartwright Center on the UW-La Crosse campus, Joe Biden just in from the vice presidential debate in Kentucky…

"Hello, University of Wisconsin.”

Picked up on what he described as the profound differences between the Obama-Biden ticket and Romney-Ryan.

He focused again on taxes.

"As a consequence of the great recession, middle class families lost $16 trillion in wealth, mostly in the equity in their homes. They saw them evaporate and their pension plan and their 401(k)s. It's time. It's time for everyone to chip in including the wealthy,” said Biden.

And Afghanistan, defending announcing ahead of time a date for getting U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.

"I made it clear on behalf of the president and I that we are leaving Afghanistan in 2014 period.  There is no if ands or buts,” said Biden.

He also said if he could leave one message with the college crowd in the home state of his Republican counterpart in the campaign, it would be...

"Barack Obama and Joe Biden are absolutely, positively and firmly committed to ensuring that our daughters and my granddaughters have the exact same rights and opportunities to control their lives as my sons and my grandsons. Exact same rights,” said Biden.

Republicans have another view

Republicans have another view of the visit from Vice President Biden.

The state GOP Party says Wisconsin voters are tired of what it calls broken promises from the Obama administration.

In a statement Republican officials said:

“It comes as no surprise that the vice president would once again be visiting the Badger State heading into the November 6 election. The momentum has clearly shifted in our favor and the Obama/Biden ticket now has to deal with a growing ‘Wisconsin Problem.’”

Republican congressman Ron Johnson also weighed in Friday. He says he believes Wisconsin is ready for a change.

“When Wisconsinites saw what President Obama's plan was, which was just increasing taxes and increasing debt, they rebelled,” said Johnson (R-Oshkosh). “I look to a very similar outcome to November 2010 and Wisconsin will turn over its 10 electoral votes to Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.”

Paul Ryan visiting Wisconsin

Paul Ryan will also be spending time in the state in the coming days.

On Sunday, he'll be in Milwaukee at a fundraiser for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Thompson.

Then on Monday, Ryan will be in Waukesha, holding a town hall meeting at Carroll University.

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