Republican vice presidential hopeful Paul Ryan told an audience in Ohio this week that voting for Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) this November in lieu of GOP pick Mitt Romney will only ensure a second term for incumbent Barack Obama.

Addressing supporters at a Republican Party rally in Lima, Ohio on Monday, Mr. Ryan responded to a gentleman from the crowd’s question pertaining to why a vote for the Romney/Ryan ticket would be the right choice for more libertarian-leaning members of the party who are still considering Rep. Paul on Election Day.

According to the man vying for the role of VP, a vote for Rep. Paul is a vote for the president.

“Do you want Barack Obama to be re-elected?” Ryan asked the crowd. “Then don’t vote for Ron Paul.”

Mr. Ryan followed up by applauding Rep. Paul’s insistence on ordering an audit of the US Federal Reserve and admitted that he sees eye-to-eye with the congressman on more than one issue. But while Ryan did little to clarify why he feared followers of Rep. Paul could plague former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s chances of a win in November, he offered up a convincing comparison of both Republican candidates that could only remind some uncertain libertarian voters of how important the issues campaigned by Rep. Paul may be for America.

“There are many things that Ron has championed that I am a believer in. Especially liberty and sound money,” Ryan told the audience. “Look at where we are. And this is where we all see eye to eye. We believe in limited government and economic freedom. We believe in pro-growth policies that say, You keep your money in your family’s budget, in your family’s business instead of sending it to Washington in the first place. That creates prosperity, freedom and jobs.”

“And on an issue where Ron has been particularly explicit, the Federal Reserve is yet again trying to bail out the fact that Obama, President Obama has failed on fiscal policy,” Ryan continued, Yahoo News reports. “All of this money printing, which is coming from the Federal Reserve, risks debasing our currency. It risks undermining the value of our dollar, it risks increasing prices on things like food and gas. And among the things that the government can do to harm its people, one of the worst things is to debase its currency. We need sound money, we need our money to have a reliable store of value, especially for people living on fixed incomes. That’s an area we feel very strong about.”

Although Rep. Paul formally lost the GOP nomination to Gov. Romney, he has yet to officially announce his resignation from the race. Last week, former Republican Party hopeful Gary Johnson filed an anti-trust suit in federal court in an effort to be included in the upcoming televised presidential debates. Although he continues to poll favorably with likely voters, Johnson has been excluded from the debate. Only Mr. Romney and Pres. Obama have been extended invitations to argue at this year’s debate, which a spokesperson for Johnson says demonstrates “a rigged system designed entirely to protect and perpetuate the two-party duopoly.”