Mike Allen of Politico reports that Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wis) will deliver the Republican Party’s response speech to President Obama’s State of the Union address. Allen says the pick is intended to emphasize the importance of balancing the budget, what with Ryan being known for his fiscally conservative proposals.

It’s a good pick. I originally had Chris Christie or Susana Martinez pegged, figuring the GOP would go with a budget-cutting governor or first Latina governor. But Ryan is fresh face with plans to fix entitlements, eliminate the deficit, and generally put the country on a more fiscally sound path. Good choice. Good choice.

Update: Reid Wilson has been told the same thing. And Mike Memoli reports that Ryan will deliver his response from the House Budget Committee’s hearing room. Ryan is, of course, chairman of that committee.

Boehner Confirms: Speaker John Boehner confirms that he and Minority Leader McConnell have chosen Ryan to deliver the response. I’ll say it again: Good choice.