DESTIN, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Texas Gov. Rick Perry competed in fishing on Monday but said they are on the same team when it comes to the nation's presidential contest.
The Republican governors joined members of the military in a fishing contest off Destin in the Gulf of Mexico.
Scott and his military partner won the competition, catching a total of five snapper, grouper and other fish. Perry's team caught two fish.
After the fishing competition, the two men talked politics and said they both support Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's choice of Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan as a running mate. Scott and Perry are both conservatives, and Ryan's selection drew praise from many in the party's conservative wing.
"I think Paul Ryan is a great choice. Gov. Romney has a running mate who thinks the same way he does and this election is going to be about jobs, jobs and jobs," Scott said. Romney served one term as Massachusetts governor.
Perry, who dropped out of the Republican presidential race this year, agreed.
"Paul Ryan is probably one of the most knowledgeable individuals in Washington relative to the budget process," Perry said.
Both governors said the presidential election will decide the extent of the federal government's involvement in state issues.
"Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan want to see the consolidation of power go back to the states," Perry said, adding that the federal government under the Obama administration is too involved in everything from education to regulating fishing.
"The people of this state know these waters better than anyone in Washington," Perry said as the two governors disembarked from their two-hour fishing trip Monday afternoon.
Perry's fishing partner was retired U.S. Marine Capt. Dan Moran of Houston. Moran was injured by an improvised explosive device in Iraq and has undergone more than 30 reconstructive surgeries since.
Scott fished with Army Sgt. Nathan Reichenberg, a member of the Florida National Guard and a 2007 Purple Heart recipient for action in Iraq.
While the nation's focus is on the economy and the presidential election, Moran said it is good to know the two governors haven't forgotten members of the military.
"It means a lot to us that they are out here. We have been at war for more than a decade and it's good that they are still paying attention," Moran said.
The governors joined other military members and various Republican politicians from the Florida Panhandle for a lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Destin fishing docks after the fishing contest.
Perry joked with the crowd, saying that even though his team didn't catch the most fish, they caught the biggest ones.
"That's what matters in Texas," he said.
The two governors also told the crowd they hope to extend their friendly competition beyond luring fish to reeling in business investment to their respective states.
Scott praised Perry's record in bringing businesses to Texas.
"We both want to be models for the country in creating new business," he said.
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