Mississippi governor endorses Romney

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant

/ AP Photo

(CBS News) PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Gov. Phil Bryant endorsed Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential primary on Thursday and said he thinks Romney can win his state.

"People are gonna embrace him," Bryant said at a Romney rally. "If you saw the crowd here tonight, he speaks to them. He has a Reagan-esque type of ability to connect to the local person."

"This is the most conservative state in the nation. And we are saying, most of us elected officials that are Republican, that we want this man to be our president," Bryant said, noting that Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann also are backing Romney, along with former U.S. Sen. Trent Lott.

Tailoring his remarks to local concerns and the economy, Romney charged that the Obama jobs plan has failed and that the administration slowed the rate of offshore drilling while the cost of gas skyrocketed. "Since this president has been president, the cost of gas has doubled. Not exactly what he might have hoped for, and he says, 'Well it's not my fault.' By the way, we've gone from, 'Yes we can,' to 'It's not my fault.'"

Romney also joked in his remarks that his personal aide, Garrett Jackson, a Mississippi native, is turning him into an "unofficial Southerner."

"I am learning to say 'y'all' and 'I like grits,' and strange things are happening to me," said Romney, clad in blue jeans for the event.

Although Romney struggles with the perception he doesn't connect with average Americans, Bryant said he sees a different side of the candidate. "He just has a warm, comfortable way about him. I like to see a man when he's holding a baby. And he looks like he's held a baby before. Let me tell you, this man is connecting with the people of this nation, and it is about those simple things."

The governor said Romney's biggest handicap in Mississippi is that "people don't know him."

[andrewjsacks]

The best Governors will endorse Obama.

[ProgressNow]

Romney: Hi Yalllllll!!!!! Boy, you folks have a lot of trees here in Alabama...and they're all the right height. Say, you might not have know this, but I grew up here in Alabama. Some of our best friends even owned a number of Alabamians. I'm not really sure what your state is best known for producing, but I'm sure my wife has a couple of them. I own a number of trucks...and most all of you drive pick-up trucks. Wow, what a coincidence!!!!

[starving1968-3]

The governor's picture makes him look like an undertaker.

It's appropriate that he's supporting Romney - he probably has a casket all picked out for the Romney campaign's November defeat!

[ProgressNow]

HAAAAAAA!!! Good one starving!

[onechimpanzee]

The endorsement from a MS governor doesn't mean anything. Governor may be fishing for a lobby job later.

[RulesofEngagement]

Can't wait for Mitt to sing "Dixie".

[nancy_naive]

There's where I labored so hard for old Massa,
Day after day in the field of yellow corn;
No place on earth do I love more sincerely
Than old Virginny, the state where I was born.

Carry me back to old Virginny.

[venusvegasvada]

Interesting. I guess we'll see soon enough what the fine folks from the great state of Mississippi have to say.

[twmat311]

The problem: before you get to know him, he's talking about his wife's Cadillacs at their bi-coastal homes, or making $10K bets as part of routine conversation. We don't need another multimillionaire to tell us what they think we need; how can they possibly know?

[AOCGUY]

Since every one running is a millionaire, including the incimbant, just who are you going to vote for?

[risenstar]

hilarious, Mitt must be a warm and kind man, after all, look at all the babies he's held high in all his political races. So, we can expect that to translate into a tax policy that favors the poor?

[tvwatcher5345]

so unless the south votes for ron paul, their choice is a roman catholic or a mormon, this is going to be funny

[Anybody77]

Mitt Romney 2012!