Republican state Treasurer Curtis Loftis, an early and ardent supporter of Mitt Romney, downplayed the growing brouhaha over Romney's VP pick, Paul Ryan, whose controversial Medicare proposals could affect not only the outcome of the presidential race but down-ticket races for Congressional seats as well.

Following a town hall meeting in Mauldin earlier this week, Loftis told Patch he's not overly concerned or convinced that Ryan's Medicare stance (which many critics have contended "would end Medicare as we know it") will have the negative impact on the GOP that political analysts and even many Republican strategists fear it might.

"I'm not concerned about it, or about Ryan. People just are beginning to pay attention [to the race]," said Loftis, who will co-chair the state's GOP delegation at the upcoming Republican National Convention. "The American people start to tune in around Labor Day. I have faith that Mr. Romney is going to win. He's going to make an excellent president.

"He and Mr. Ryan are both 'fix-it' guys," he added. "They like to fix things. They are not really comfortable as politicians like Obama is. [Obama's] a wonderful politician who loves to get in front of people. Mitt's a little bit uncomfortable. He would rather be at his desk making decisions."

At the same time, Loftis said, "I've spent a lot of personal one-on-one time with [Romney]. He's just a good man. When you get to know him, you like him — and you won't find anybody more competent.

"In my opinion…we have really significant problems, and we need someone to fix those problems, and he's fixed things all his life, and he'll fix us, too," Loftis said.

Loftis accompanied Romney when the candidate was in Greenville on Thursday for a private fundraiser. "We talked about Paul Ryan. I know Mr. Ryan just a little bit, and he's a nice guy, and [Romney] was telling me just how smart he was. He said, 'I'm always amazed just how smart he is.'"

As far as Ryan's effect on down-ticket races, Loftis added, "I think Americans are ready for people to talk honestly [about Medicare]. What's happened is, the political consultants and all the strategists have taken politicians down to the floor and have underestimated everybody's intelligence. And I believe there are a whole lot of people, liberals and conservatives, who are looking for more. I have a lot of friends who are liberals and they are unhappy with Obama. I know a lot of my conservative friends who were unhappy with George Bush. They all wanted more.

"I think the country is yearning for an adult, and I think Mitt Romney is that adult — and I think Mr. Ryan is a great addition to the team."