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Updated 11:22 a.m. — Eric Cantor, the second-ranking House Republican, endorsed Mitt Romney for president on Sunday, saying he is the candidate best suited to handle the issue of the economy.
Cantor, the House Majority Leader, announced his support on "Meet the Press," just two days before the primary on Tuesday in Virginia.
"What I have seen is a very hard-fought primary. And we have seen now that the central issue about the campaign now is the economy," Cantor told moderator David Gregory. "I just think there's one candidate in the case who can do that, and it's Mitt Romney."
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor thrusts his support behind Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on NBC's Meet the Press.
Cantor is the highest-ranking Republian member of Congress to make an endorsement in the primary. Moreover, Cantor has emerged as a national political figurehead for conservatives on Capitol Hill; he's generally seen as the informal leader of the faction of anti-establishment conservatives to have been elected in 2010. To that end, he is one of three House Republicans considered the party's "Young Guns," along with Reps. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and Paul Ryan (Wis.), neither of whom have endorsed in the presidential race.
Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom told reporters traveling with Romney on Sunday that Cantor called the former Massachusetts governor on Wednesday to inform him of the endorsement.
The Virginia lawmaker's support adds to a collection of endorsements Romney has collected from elected officials. Eighty-one Republican members of Congress have voiced public support for Romney, according to Roll Call's count of endorsements. Just 11 members of Congress have endorsed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, by comparison. Romney has additionally won endorsements from other national Republican figures like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell.
Fehrnstrom suggested Cantor's support stems from an interest in riding Romney's coattails — coattails which, by implication, Fehrnstrom meant that Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum wouldn't have for Republicans downballot.
"I gotta believe in the back of his mind he’s also thinking about maintaining a Republican majority in the house and elected republicans are looking for someone who has coattails, not concrete shoes," the Romney adviser said of Cantor.
Some of the other members of the House Republican leadership team have made endorsements; the No. 3 member of the GOP, Conference Chairman and Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling, had endorsed Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Republican Policy Committee Chairman and Georgia Rep. Tom Price has endorsed Newt Gingrich.
Two members of the House GOP leadership have endorsed Romney, including Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the Republican conference vice chairwoman, and Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, the chairman of the House Republican Leadership.
The top House Republican, Speaker John Boehner, has doggedly refused to make an endorsement in the Republican primary. A political spokesman for the speaker confirmed Saturday that Boehner won't endorse before the primary on Tuesday in his native Ohio, arguably the crown jewel of the Super Tuesday contests.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) has also declined, to date, to make an endorsement in the Republican race.
Cantor's endorsement comes at a point in Romney's campaign at which he's railed against opponent Rick Santorum's extensive experience in Congress. Romney has made his lack of time spent in Washington a cornerstone of his campaign.
The former Massachusetts governor has also broken, though, from congressional Republicans at points throughout the campaign. Most notably, Romney came out in opposition to a deal GOP leaders on Capitol Hill had struck with President Obama to raise the nation's debt ceiling last August after maintaining his silence for much of the debate.
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If you are not concerned about a trillion and a half dollar debt annual increases, tens of millions unemployed, underemployed or not looking any more, double digit increases of both the poverty rolls and food stamp recipients and many more Obama Administrations claims of failure, re-elect him. Anyone But Obama, please.
Oh yea remember when bush crashed the economy, remember deficits do not matter. You can not blame O bama for the sins of the Bush administration. It is just bullcrap that Obama is expected to wave a magic wand and fix what the republicans did. Its only been three years, how long did it take us to recover from the first great depression. These things take decades to cycle, the republicans left a mess we all have to suffer with, they own it. Obama did what he could despite more filibusters than ever before in history. And the president does not make the budget, congress does. When you actually look at the real truth we should be thankful it could have been alot worse. We could have done great things if the republicans had not turned into a bigoted mob of ugly pandering elitists. We are gunna vote them out, you watch baby! Go Big O!!!!
Go Big O in another administrtion by Obama I'll be lucky not to end up in jail for telling it like it is and refusing to participate in the legalized baby killing in the healthcare plan.
"A National deficit of 9 trillion is unAmerican. I will cut that deficit in half in my first term." BHO
Lead a country? He hasn't shown he could lead a fly to poop.
Bain Capital and Romney owns Rush's news channel. Why isn't Mitt Romany defending this woman?
We all need to go after Bain Capitol and Romney to stop Limbaugh's trash mouth! If he continues to back Rush we know what kind of person Mitt really is. Email Mitt Today!
I already e-mailed Bain Capital.
"It's the ECONOMY Stupid!"
Limbaugh is just white trash with money, whats scary is the right wing fear of him. I wonder if they are scared now after he ate all that Crow! So damn funny, the big mouth got smacked down by women. Hell hath no fury fat boy!
Now that is a very valuable endorsement. Very telling. If Eric Cantor likes Romney's fiscal policies, thats good enough for the Republican party.
What about a Romney/Cantor ticket this November??
Can you see Eric Cantor debating Goofy Joe Biden?? LOL
No matter who wins. We all loose. Obama would be scary without four years of campaigning getting in his way.
I thought Obama was unreelectable but now Romney has virtually declared Cantor would be VP. Can this Republocrat farce get any worse?
Naww - the Republican power brokers already have VP chosen for Mr. Fake (i.e. -Romney) - it'll be some hot Repub like Nicki Haley that'll motivate the base from the boring pol Romney....... that all Repub women will want to be like and all Repub men want to bed. They learned their lesson, though, with that other 'hot' Repub female -Palin - Haley doen't have as much baggage. She and Romney will still be a disaster for this country. The CEO's and corporations will rule much more than they do now. Think of the invisible wing-nuts that will be part of their administration that weren't voted for....and what they will do to this country. Romney will do this to placate the fanatical tea-party fringe. Cantor is only the tip of the iceberg.
Obama needs a more unfettered second term. Obama/Biden 2012!
Actually have you thought if he doesn't get the neccesary delegates tuesday and the doesn't win Texas it might be a brokered convention. I know some republicans are already looking for the none of the above candidate.
Eric Cantor is reminiscent of Limbaughs draft deferrment he is a cyst on the anal cleft of society. He has been the ideological commissar of the far right sabatoging any compromise that Boehner agreed to while driving the party off an ideological cliff. He thinks Romney will be good for the economy and jobs perhaps he missed Romneys term as Governor of Massachusetts. Massachusetts ranked near the bottom of almost all meaningful statistics during Romneys term leaving it far worse off than he found it. While employment grew by 6% nationally during his term aggragate employment in Mass. fell by 8,000 the only state in the nation with a net loss. National out put of goods and sevices rose by 13% Massachusettes 9% which ranked 36th. Full time salaries and wages fell by 2%, manufacturing declined 7% nationally 14% in Massachusetts while 222,000 residents left the state. What a great record to run on if he could equal that in 49 other states we may as well put up giant closed for business signs on the borders.
jkh
Yes Jim - and maybe because he was hardly in the state. He was running for President then. Any time there was an emergency in Massachusetts it was mostly the Lieutenant-Governor that was on TV dealing with it. Romney did a lot of tramping around getting to know the Repub bigwigs or off to one country or another for 'business'.
Kind of like obama has been doing the last 3 years???
Vote soros, van jones and obama OUT!!!!
Jim. Did you have a cyst on your anal cleft? That sounds painfull.
Leroy,
I did not. However Rush Limbaugh said he did. Pilodinal cysts got him out of service in Vietnam. They are caused by a hirsuite cleft with infected ingrown hairs and poor personal hygiene. During WWII it was known as jeep disease because it was caused by a lack of toileting and bathing facilities while in combat and the bouncing of army vehicles. The imagination beggars what type of bouncing young Mr. Limbaughs corpulent ass cheeks were doing but it wasn't riding in a jeep or fighting a war.
jkh
Who cares what Cantor thinks.
Wow, Romney should be really proud to have Teatard, Retard Cantor and the Wicked Witch of the Southwest endorsing his Parasite Capitalist campaign.
Can it get any more Autocratic than that?
Democracy = Democratic
Autocracy = Republican
Obama and Democrats for Democracy in 2012!
Democratic?
More like radical despotic in my opinion
canker, go away bad dream.
Cantor - One of the main reasons government is unworkable.
You really went out on that limb endorsing old Mitt didn't you Cantor.
Well, now Mittens has the support of the highest ranking Gay Repuglickin. LOL
A Democrat against gays?
Nah democrats call anyone anything nasty rather than explain their positions. Their positions if you look past the smoke and mirrors are unexplainable.
I don't know how anyone can stand Cantor. And I can't understand what makes Relpublicans do the same things over and over again even once they see the awful results. Why do Republicans think that a President of the United States of America must be a businessman? What does running a business into bankruptcy do to qualify a person to run a nation. Do they really forget the last businessman, GW Bush, who ran this nation nearly into financial ruin? Bush Jr. bankrupted other business ventures of his before he turned on our country. Mitt is another businessman bent on bankrupting every company he takes "under his wing". The fact that he always comes out profiting as an individual is not very reassuring! It takes a man with quiet strength. Like Obama. Not a big mouth braggart like Bush Jr. and now all these other Republican candidates. Cantor is just another pawn in the game of big money. He is a little man who wants to play with the big guys. They'll eat him up and spit him out.
"Need a businessman"? Maybe 15 trillion in debt is a start. Speaking of the rich, lets see who has more campain money in the general election.
Obama will incumbant always has more. Try explianing that 15 trillion to your kids in a few years. They're going to say WTF were you people thinking.
Oooohhhh! Romney is pulling in the prestigous endorsements now! I heard that Eric "I want what I want when I want it" Can'tor just issued a statement that no government help would be given to disaster victims unless it can be paid for first .... oh wait, he already did that.
My goodness, look at this, "Mr. one percent in the flesh, or is it one-half percent" endorsing romney. How much do you shell out for your tailored suites bub, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000 dollars? Check out the old movie "TANGO AND CASH", Kurt Russell and the "SLY", you get the picture.
To quote some great Americans (The Tree Stooges)..."everytime you think you weaken the nation"! That is the legacy of the Tea Party wackos and their political lapdogs.
Nah the three stooges have been sitting judges in the San Antonio federal district court this year. One of them managed to rule opposite ways on prayer at HS graduation in 2 months time. I think either he flips a coin or gives the win to the first person who gets to the door.
This shows the GOP true spirituality.The republicans have chosen to pledge allegiance to a leader whose spiritual authority comes from spirit which rejects the absolute authority of the Bible and does not accept JESUS as LORD and SAVIOR.This explain their heartless approach to governing.
Here Cantor! Here Boy! Sit..... Stay.... Good Boy!
Journalists have a responsibility to report what this Tea Party politician says. Otherwise there could be no reason. This man has demonstrated nothing but destructive and obstructive intransigence over his entire service in the House of Representatives. He has seemed oblivious to the national interest in these hard times, and blind to reason itself. What in heaven's name do Cantor and the Tea Party really want? Are they afraid to tell us in a clear statement of platform? Apparently not.
Cantor had to highlight Romney's Progrowth and Projob agenda. Guess Romneys going to buy a couple more Caddys.
I thought Eric Cantor would have endorsed Rick Santorum, since their ideology appears to be similar. Go figure...
Little Eric is Jewish and slick Rick is Catholic so it would be hard to root for each other.
Eric Caton is a spoiled child. He is a disgrace to the Public Servant arena. He is only for himself, and his Noble and deceased Rabbi Hillel would turn his back on this child of wealth and one dimensional thought. When this child was asked to the White House and invited to bring his opinions, ideas and an agenda for ending the stalemate and moving the country in a positive direction, this child could only yell, scream and obstruct like a child unhappy with his dinner. He readily and frequently insulted the sitting President and, I might add, where I come from, if you indulge in that kind of vulgarity and offensive behavior, someone will break your ass real quick.
I have no respect for the rich boy who really should spend a couple of years in the Israeli army before two additional years on a kibbutz, actually doing some real valuable work.