GOFFSTOWN - Presumptive Republican nominee for President Mitt Romney addressed a packed crowd at St. Anselm College Monday morning, alongside running mate Paul Ryan, as they slammed President Obama's record and vowed to restore the shining city on the hill.

Romney said he would “get off the track President Obama has put us on,” allowing the economy to come roaring back.

“We can't go on the way we're going on, or we'll end up being Greece,” Romney said.

The former Massachusetts governor addressed the 3,000-plus crowd under a bright morning sun, with Ryan at his side.

Ryan took to attacking the President's stance on Medicare, citing his mother as a beneficiary of the program.

“Friends, we've got a big decision to make,” said the Wisconsin congressman. “This is no ordinary time, it's no ordinary election, and the choice is basically this: We can stay on the same path we are on, a nation in debt, a nation in doubt… or we can elect real leaders like Mitt Romney and get this country back on the right track.”

Ryan said Obama has been AWOL on fiscal leadership and on preserving Medicare for seniors.

U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, U.S. Reps. Frank Guinta and Charlie Bass, all Republicans from New Hampshire, and former Wisconsin Sen. Bob Kasten took the microphone prior to the governor's arrival, all accentuating Romney's business experience and the record of the current President.

Kasten called for a “crusade” in the form of a Romney-Ryan-Reagan ticket.



Earlier story follows:


GOFFSTOWN — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and vice presidential candidate pick Rep. Paul Ryan will hold what their campaign is touting as Romney's 100th town hall event. It will be on the campus of St. Anselm College today and be their first joint appearance in New England.

The town hall is scheduled to take place on the college's quad, at 100 Saint Anselm Drive, beginning at 10 a.m. Those interested in attending must register with the Romney campaign atmittromney.com/states/maine/events/join-mitt-and-paul-manchester, and should check the Mitt Romney website, mittromney.com, for information about parking and tickets. The event is free and open to the public.

The venue will open at 8 a.m. today. Parking on campus will be limited. Faculty, staff and students may run into traffic on Saint Anselm Drive as early as 7 a.m. Members of the college community should also have their college ID and/or parking sticker readily available to access campus.