Ryan to take day off for debate prep

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan is taking a break from the campaign to prepare to debate the man he wants to replace, the campaign said.

Ryan and several key advisers plan to spend Sunday somewhere in or near Portland, Ore., prepping for his first debate against Vice President Joe Biden, The Washington Post reported. Ryan, a lifelong Wisconsin resident, is also expected to take a break during the day to watch the Green Bay Packers, who host the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, the newspaper said.

An aide said the day will focus on questions likely to come up in a Biden-Ryan debate and not on a rehearsal.

The campaign has not said who will stand in for Biden in any mock debates.

"Vice President Joe Biden served over 30 years in the United States Senate, he's run for president twice and has served as vice-president for the past four years," an aide who was not authorized to speak to the news media about the debate said. "He is one of the most experienced debaters in American political life, and we definitely don't take the challenge lightly."

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