Paul Ryan speaks out in first post-election interview

(CBS News) While Mitt Romney's loss in the presidential election likely means the end of his political career, his Republican running mate Paul Ryan is returning to Washington, after winning reelection to his Congressional seat. The Wisconsin Congressman spoke to CBS Affiliate WISC in his first TV interview since the election.

"We were surprised at the outcome," Ryan said, speaking of the election results. "We knew this was gonna be a close race. We thought we had a very good chance of winning it."

And while he says he feels "very fortunate to have had this experience," Ryan admitted, "losing never feels good."

Ryan chalked the loss up to Democratic turnout, as opposed to issues, saying the get-out-the-vote efforts "especially in urban areas, gave President Obama the big margin to win this race."

And while Ryan displayed a more concilitatory tone than he struck on the campaign trail, calling for compromise and "negotiation to make sure that bad thinsg don't happen just in a month or two for the economy," he reiterated his opposition to Obama's call to raise taxes on families making more than $250,000 annually.

"If the goal here is to keep raising tax rates, then that puts our successful small businesses, which is where most of our jobs come from, out of business," Ryan said.

For more from the interview, watch CBS News' Chip Reid's report above.