TAMPA -- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker used his prime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in Tampa to portray Mitt Romney as a man who understands the struggles of average Americans.

Walker talked about the struggles in his state and how Romney understands the hardships people face across the country.

"Too many Americans think our country is headed in the wrong direction," Walker said. "But Mitt Romney understands, like I understand, that people - not governments - create jobs."

Walker said that increasingly, government stands in the way of job creators.

"We need someone to turn things around in America," he said, touting Romney's role as a business leader, Olympic manager and governor. "That leader is Governor Mitt Romney."

Romney has the skills to be an exceptional president, Walker said.

"Now, more than ever, we need reformers: leaders who think more about the next generation than just the next election," Walker said. "That's what you get from Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan."

The United States needs a leader who is willing to the fate of the ahead of their own political careers, Walker said.

"Let this be our time in history so that someday we can tell our children and grandchildren that we were there, that we changed the course of history for the better," he said. "Let us tell them that we helped elect Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to save America."