Gov. Romney chose U.S. Representative Paul Ryan, a Catholic, as his running mate in August 2012. Catholic Democrats pointed out the inconsistencies between Rep Ryan's previous budget proposals and the Catholic “preferential option for the poor,” citing opposition from a wide array of Catholic theologians and other professors, Catholic nuns, and Bishops Stephen Blaire and Howard Hubbard. “The selection of U.S. Representative Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney’s running mate puts the Ryan budget, the role of the Catholic Social Justice Tradition, and the ways we as a society can help the poor at the center of this campaign,” said Professor Nick Cafardi, a member of the board of Catholic Democrats.