Romney picks up big-name endorsements ahead of Super Tuesday
Ahead of the most important day in the Republican presidential primary race so far, Mitt Romney is lining up endorsements from some very high-profile Republicans.
Voter in 10 states make their choices Tuesday, allotting more than 400 of the 1,144 delegates needed to secure the nomination in a contest referred to as Super Tuesday. A good day for Romney could give him enough delegates to reclaim his sense of inevitability and help him make the case that his opponents should give up on their quest for the Republican nomination.
Alternatively, he could end up splitting the delegates with rivals Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, who are trying to capture the anti-Romney vote. The Romney campaign is hoping some last minute endorsements push him over the edge.
On Monday, the Romney campaign announced an endorsement from John Ashcroft, the U.S. attorney general under the President George W. Bush.
"No other candidate stands out for his executive leadership experience or ability to accomplish difficult tasks as does Mitt Romney," Ashcroft said in a statement, praising Romney for his record of fiscal responsibility, capability to handle national security issues and his "defense of traditional values."
Over the weekend, House Republican leader Eric Cantor gave Romney his first endorsement from congressional leadership, saying on NBC's Meet the Press that "Mitt Romney is the man for this year."
"I believe this is a historic election. There's no question about it, the kinds of challenges we face," Cantor continued. "He is the only one in the race who has put forward [the solutions we need], and I think he can beat Barack Obama in November."
Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, one of the Senate's most stalwart conservatives, penned an op-ed in the Oklahoman Sunday. Coburn said that Washington can be divided into leaders and "career politicians," and that Romney qualifies as a leader.
"Romney has done hard things," he wrote. "He has turned businesses around, told people hard truths about what needed to be done, inspired confidence and overcome excuses."
With Coburn and Cantor's support, Romney now has endorsements from 80 congressional Republicans, CBS News has confirmed, while former Sen. Rick Santorum only has the backing of three and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has the support of 11.
In addition to giving Romney more support from the GOP establishment, Ashcroft, Cantor and Coburn could help the former governor in key geographical regions.
Along with Oklahoma and Virginia, Georgia and Tennessee will vote on Super Tuesday. Romney is expected to be at a disadvantage in southern states, where either Gingrich or Santorum may appeal more to the conservative base. Still, Romney made clear this weekend with stops in Georgia and Tennessee that he's not ceding the region.
Ashcroft, the former governor of Missouri, could help shore up Romney's support in the midwest, a competitive region where Santorum has tried to connect with working-class conservatives. In Ohio, where Republicans vote Tuesday, the latest poll shows Romney in a statistical dead heat with Santorum.
Over the weekend, Romney won the endorsements of two Ohio newspapers, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The drawn out primary spurred the Enquirer to praise Romney's strengths and ask, "What more do Republican voters want?"
Seemingly in response to the Enquirer's question, the Plain Dealer called out Romney for being "awkward in public, especially when talking about himself and, in particular, his personal wealth" and charging that "his core beliefs are a mystery."
The Plain Dealer's endorsement seemed to back the notion that conservatives are simply relenting in their support for Romney, rather than embracing his candidacy enthusiastically. The newspaper said he is the "only remaining Republican who can who can appeal to swing voters and disaffected Democrats."
Coburn seemed to acknowledge as much in his own endorsement, writing, "In life, and especially politics, our choices are seldom perfect and often difficult. But it is critically important to make a choice and support the person who is best equipped to solve the urgent problems before us. In my view, that person is Mitt Romney."
