Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are joining forces to try to return the Republican Party to power in Washington. But, as with any newly formed team, there have been times when they haven’t been on the same page. There don’t appear to be many major policy differences between the two men, but here are five worth noting:
1: The auto industry bailout
Ryan supported the auto industry bailout four years ago, while Romney opposed it.
Ryan comes from a southeastern Wisconsin district that has been hit hard by the problems in the auto industry, and he joined just 31 other Republicans in voting for the auto bailout in December 2008 - though he has since said he voted for it because he thought the money would be spent differently.
Romney, at the time, wrote an op-ed in which he opposed the bailout and advocated a "managed bankruptcy" for the industry.
President Barack Obama’s campaign has made the recovery of the auto industry paramount to its appeals in the Midwest, so expect Democrats to point out the incongruity on the GOP ticket.
2: Abortion exceptions
Ryan opposes abortion under all circumstances, unless the procedure is deemed necessary to save the mother’s life. Romney says he would allow exceptions for cases of rape and incest.
Ryan is a sponsor of the Sanctity of Human Life Act, which defines a fertilized egg as a human being - similar to recent "personhood" efforts in a handful of states. He won his seat in 1998 by running to his opponent’s right on abortion and emphasizing no exceptions. Romney has suggested he supports legislation aimed at creating a constitutional amendment establishing personhood.
Obama noted in a tweet Saturday that Ryan "would ban all abortions, even in cases of rape or incest," and the White House has made women’s health a key part of the campaign. Perhaps more than anything else on this list, Democrats will use this issue against the GOP ticket.
3: Capital gains tax cuts
Ryan has advocated the elimination of the capital gains tax, although his budget leaves tax reform up to the House Ways and Means Committee. Romney has moved to cut the capital gains tax without ending it.
In fact, as Alec MacGillis points out in the New Republic, during a primary debate, Romney criticized Newt Gingrich for his plan to eliminate the capital gains tax, noting that he would not have paid any taxes over the past two years under such a plan.
The question now is which approach the ticket embraces. As MacGillis notes, Democrats - who have suggested there might be years in which Romney hasn’t paid taxes - can argue that, under Ryan’s ideal system, there would indeed have been years in which he paid none.
4: Gay adoption
Ryan has voted against allowing same-sex couples to adopt children, while Romney has said he is "fine" with such arrangements.
Ryan’s vote came in 1999, when the House was voting on whether to allow gay couples to adopt in the District of Columbia. Earlier this year, Romney said: "In my state, individuals of the same sex were able to adopt children. In my view, that’s something that people have a right to do." Soon after, Romney clarified his remarks, noting that almost all states allow gay adoption.
We’re not sure this is going to be anything close to a key issue in the 2012 election, though.
5: Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Ryan in 2007 voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation; Romney has said that he thinks the matter is a state issue and that he doesn’t support federal legislation.
"I would not support at the federal level, and I changed in that regard because I think that policy makes more sense to be evaluated or to be implemented at the state level," Romney said in 2007.
Again, while gay marriage may be a key issue in 2012, as with gay adoption, don’t expect to hear too much about this issue.
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Rachel Weiner contributed to this report.
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