The Woman At His Side: Janna Ryan

Occasionally the soul mate of a running mate can hover just outside the spotlight–but probably not the intriguing Janna Christine Ryan, a 43-year-old lawyer and lobbyist turned homemaker who may become the next Second Lady.

Born into a well-to-do and politically connected family in Madill, Okla. (pop. 3,818), Janna Little graduated cum laude from Wellesley with a degree in Spanish. Next she headed to law school at George Washington University in Washington.

Embracing her family’s deep blue ties in Oklahoma–her uncle is former Senator David Boren and her cousin Dan Boren is now a Congressman–Janna Ryan signed on as a staffer for a Sooner State Democrat in the House. From there she turned to lobbying, representing clients from Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Conoco Inc., according to OpenSecrets.org

While Janna was working at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a mutual friend introduced her to Ryan, then a first-term Congressman and one of Capitol Hill’s most eligible bachelors.

Ryan took Janna hunting and eventually proposed to her at one of his favorite fishing spots. The couple married in 2000 when she was 31 and he was 30. She surprised Beltway friends by leaving K Street for Ryan’s hometown of Janesville, Wis., where she is raising three children, Liza, 10, Charlie, 8, and Sam, 7.

She modestly rejected a proffered microphone at one of her first events with the Romneys. Meanwhile, an eager fan started JannaRyan.com She’s in for much more attention as the campaign intensifies in the fall.