In a statement released this morning, Gov. Mitt Romney called the increase in the unemployment rate from 7.8 to 7.9 percent “a sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill.”

Romney is campaigning today in Wisconsin and then Ohio. He will be joined at an evening rally in West Chester, Ohio by vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, Kid Rock and nearly 100 governors, senators, mayors.

From the statement on today’s jobs report:

The jobless rate is higher than it was when President Obama took office, and there are still 23 million Americans struggling for work. On Tuesday, America will make a choice between stagnation and prosperity. For four years, President Obama’s policies have crushed America’s middle class. For four years, President Obama has told us that things are getting better and that we’re making progress. For too many American families, those words ring hollow.

Ryan will campaign in Colorado and Iowa before joining Romney in Ohio.

In a statement, White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Alan Krueger said the employment report, which also showed a gain of 171,000 jobs, “provides further evidence that the U.S. economy is continuing to heal from the wounds inflicted by the worst downturn since the Great Depression.”