Paul Ryan holds campaign rally at CNU

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) - Republican vice presidential hopeful Paul Ryan spoke in Newport News Tuesday, intensifying the GOP's battle for swing state Virginia as polls show President Barack Obama widening his lead over Mitt Romney.

Ryan addressed a packed house of more than 1,500 supporters at Christopher Newport University Tuesday.

Click here to view Ryan's full speech.

The appearance comes as Romney and Ryan struggle through three difficult weeks of Romney miscues, an Obama bounce coming out of the Democratic National Convention and polls that indicate the GOP ticket is losing ground.

Click here to watch WAVY.com's one-on-one with Ryan.

A Marist College poll last week showed Obama slightly ahead with a 5 percentage point edge, while a Washington Post poll Tuesday showed Obama leading by 8 points.

WAVY News 10's Jason Marks spoke one-on-one with Ryan moments before Tuesday's event. Ryan addressed a video that surfaced of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney where he said nearly half of all Americans believe they are victims and are dependent on government.