Ryan stopping in Minnesota on Sunday

Just days before voters go to the polls, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan will join a rally in Minnesota Sunday.

According to an invitation to the event, Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman, will headline an afternoon rally at the Sun County hangar at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.

The visit marks the first time that Ryan has held a public event in his neighboring state and marks a new notch on Minnesota's swing state belt. Until last week, neither Romney nor Obama's campaign targeted Minnesota but after a few polls showed Republican Mitt Romney within points of President Obama's lead, they have started giving the state a little more attention.

Both the Romney and the Obama campaigns have begun running ads in the state, joined by the Republican National Committee and the pro-Romney Restore Our Future.

Obama officials, who have long had staffers and campaign offices in Minnesota, have said they are running ads to match the new Republican ad campaign but are confident they will keep Minnesota blue.

But Republican officials point to former President Bill Clinton's rallies in Minnesota this week and see signs of weakness in the state's long-running tradition of voting for Democrats in presidential elections.