--- description: Traveling with him through more than ten states this summer, photographer Lauren Fleishman has documented Mitt Romney's buildup to the Republican National Convention, held next week in Tampa. title: Romney and Ryan on the Campaign Trail by Lauren Fleishman image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8493f74dc44327f3/6986893dd0b6f266fc303a2c/05-credit_lauren-fleishman-for-timefinal.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Convention Draws Near: The Romney-Ryan Road Trip to Tampa by [Vaughn Wallace](/author/vaughn-wallace/) ## Vaughn Wallace Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 23, 2012 11:30 AM CUT  Aug. 20, 2012\. Mitt Romney, in a quiet moment, works on the plane heading towards events in New Orleans, La. Aug. 20, 2012\. Mitt Romney, in a quiet moment, works on the plane heading towards events in New Orleans, La.Lauren Fleishman for TIME by [Vaughn Wallace](/author/vaughn-wallace/) ## Vaughn Wallace Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 23, 2012 11:30 AM CUT Election Day is going to come quicker than you know. Long the Republican frontrunner, Mitt Romney has been gradually building momentum towards Nov. 6 since clinching the party nomination on May 29\. Now, in the throes of virtually non-stop tours around the U.S. with running mate Paul Ryan, Romney moves to the next stage of his campaign next Monday at the Republican National Convention in Tampa. Photographer Lauren Fleishman has watched Romney’s campaign evolve since she first began [covering the former Massachusetts governor for TIME](http://lightbox.time.com/2012/03/07/super-tuesday-romney/#1 "undefined"). Traveling with him through more than ten states since March, Fleishman became aware of how the Romney-Ryan team began to pull out the stops as the Republican National Convention loomed closer on the horizon. This past week, as the Romney motorcade raced through Boston, New Orleans and Long Island, N.Y., TIME was granted some rare moments of behind-the-scenes access, as Fleishman tagged along with him at work on the campaign plane, and at a private luncheon with supporters. (**See more:** [Paul Ryan’s Life and Career in Photos](http://swampland.time.com/2012/08/11/paul-ryans-life-and-career-in-photos/#paul-ryan-bio-01 "undefined")) The Romney camp, eager to reach crucial members of their party before the 2012 convention, had ratcheted up their game. Campaign events seemed grander; crowds swelled in front of more-energized-than-ever candidates. And, in as controlled an environment as the modern political campaign allows, Romney exuded a new spirit—that of Paul Ryan. “Now that he has a running mate, the crowd gets really excited—it feels like almost twice the energy,” Fleishman said. [_Lauren Fleishman_](http://www.laurenfleishman.com/ "undefined") _is an award-winning photographer based in New York City. See her previous coverage of Romney on Super Tuesday_ [_here_](http://lightbox.time.com/2012/03/07/super-tuesday-romney/#1 "undefined")_._ **Related:** [The Rich History of Mitt Romney](http://swampland.time.com/2011/08/31/the-rich-history-of-mitt-romney/#romney%5Fbiopic%5F01 "undefined")  Aug. 20, 2012\. The crowd waits to greet Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, at a town-hall-style meeting at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 20, 2012\. Mitt Romney, and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, make their way into a town-hall-style meeting at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 20, 2012\. The crowd of nearly 3,000 supporters waits at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 20, 2012\. Mitt Romney cheers in support of his running mate Paul Ryan, during the town-hall-style meeting at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 20, 2012\. Young men listen to the Republican presidential candidates during the town-hall-style meeting at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 20, 2012\. The crowd cheers for Mitt Romney, and Paul Ryan at a town-hall-style meeting at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 20, 2012\. After the rally Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan hosted a private lunch with supporters who had a chance to meet the candidates up-close at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 18, 2012\. Mitt Romney makes a campaign stop at Millie's Restaurant in Nantucket Mass. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 18, 2012\. Mitt Romney boards a plane at Martha's Vineyard Airport on his way to a finance event in Hyannis, Mass. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 17, 2012\. Warm cookies and milk served on Romney's plane from Hanscom Field in Bedford, Mass. to Long Island, MacArthur Airport. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 17, 2012\. A Romney staffer on her phone outside of a finance event in the Hamptons, Long Island, New York. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 18, 2012\. Attendees arrive for a Romney campaign finance event in Hyannis, Mass. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 18, 2012\. The check-in desk at the Farm Neck Golf Club in Martha's Vineyard where Mitt Romney attended a finance event. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 18 2012\. Mitt Romney allows Magan Munson, finance director on the Romney for President campaign (center) and a coworker pass onto the plane after a fundraiser in Martha's Vineyard. Lauren Fleishman for TIME  Aug. 20, 2012\. Mitt Romney, in a quiet moment, works on the plane heading towards events in New Orleans, La. Lauren Fleishman for TIME ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/51736/the-convention-draws-near-the-romney-ryan-road-trip-to-the-party-in-tampa/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/51736/the-convention-draws-near-the-romney-ryan-road-trip-to-the-party-in-tampa/"},"headline":"The Convention Draws Near: The Romney-Ryan Road Trip to Tampa","datePublished":"2012-08-23T11:30:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:41:58.837Z","description":"Traveling with him through more than ten states this summer, photographer Lauren Fleishman has documented Mitt Romney's buildup to the Republican National Convention, held next week in Tampa.","url":"https://time.com/51736/the-convention-draws-near-the-romney-ryan-road-trip-to-the-party-in-tampa/","keywords":["LightBox","Boston","new orleans","RNC","Election","mitt romney","Tampa","Paul Ryan","Photojournalism","photo essay"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8493f74dc44327f3/6986893dd0b6f266fc303a2c/05-credit_lauren-fleishman-for-timefinal.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Vaughn Wallace","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/vaughn-wallace/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8493f74dc44327f3/6986893dd0b6f266fc303a2c/05-credit_lauren-fleishman-for-timefinal.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Campaign Trail","caption":"Aug. 20, 2012. Mitt Romney, in a quiet moment, works on the plane heading towards events in New Orleans, La.","creditText":"Lauren Fleishman for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-lightbox/","name":"LightBox"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/51736/the-convention-draws-near-the-romney-ryan-road-trip-to-the-party-in-tampa/","name":"The Convention Draws Near: The Romney-Ryan Road Trip to Tampa"}}]}] ```