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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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Canter reminds me of one of these ugly guys never been picked by a girl and wanting it so badly. He is one of the reasons that the people reject Congress and the GOP, the evil little Eric saying no to everything and even wanting the job from Boehner so badly.
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.
The guy's completely lost. Someone: help him find his way homes.
Is Eric fish'in for VP to bring in the Far Far Right? He'll have to get a new laundry for his new jeans. In fairness, to show he is in touch with The People, Eric will get them pre-shrunk. but gently pressed.
If I wanted the govt involved in my womb, I would screw a US Senator.
sally we don't want the government in your womb either. matter of fact we don't want the government in your sex life at all.
so keep your legs closed and don't ask the government or the US taxpayer to pay for condoms or for illegitimate babies or abortions and we will all be happy.
but the minute you ask the government for assistance in any of these areas you invite them as well as the rest of America to give their opinion.
honest jo
Tell ya what, honey....we'll do as you say as soon as all the men keep it in their pants
I think its just great that Eric Cantor has endorsed Mitt Romney. Its the same as being given a poison pill!
Well if Obama wins a second term it won't be
because I didn't do everything that I could to prevent that from happening.
Obama and this administration lie to us the American public every day. It has
become almost impossible to know what is true and what is not true. Spread the
truth. Obama and this administration prey on the uneducated and the uninformed.
Obama has become an artist at saying one thing and doing another. Obama has
been the worst most destructive president to Americans and what we believe in.
LETS LIGHT THE FIRE TO IGNITE A FREE AMERICA THAT
OUR FORFATHERS WOULD BE PROUD OF.
A FIRE THAT WOULD ENSURE THAT THE REPUBLIC STARTED
BY THE FOUNDERS OF THIS COUNTRY WILL LAST FOREVER.
A FIRE THAT WOULD LET OBAMA AND THOSE LIKE HIM
KNOW THAT WE DO NOT WANT TO LIVE IN A SOCIALIST COUNTRY.
ANYBODY BUT OBAMA 2012!!!
AMERICA IS DEPENDING ON US!!!
Please read the article and post your comment accordingly.
Truly delusional.
Teabag much?
Romney is of the rich for the rich. His idea of the middle class is we all have acounts over seas and need tax cuts to bring that money home. Cut a trillion from the defence, raise taxes on the rich and raise tariffs to protect american small business.
Oh really and the the best you can do is that lying sniveling Cantor,lol. America is depending on us,to defeat and release our saves from the strangle hold of the cons. They have focus their energy on one job only,and they have decided to attack womens healthcare. Those are the issues buddy,that the cons choose.Men who don't stand up to protect their women,from people who degrade them are losers. And people who rather defeat the President than help our country with jobs are losers. Anyone with a lick of sense can see who are the liars. A free America is leaning forward not going backwards. OBAMA-BIDEN 2012 J-MAL
A sleazy weasel comes out in support of another sleazy weasel ... how droll.
ahhh, yes, SELF-SERVING, mr. photo-op, eric cantor: the zionist-shill, and t-bagger favorite BIGMOUTH, and where-ever he opens his big yap, people definitely need wading boots!
little man-boy eric DECEPTIVELY said, "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. Now, now?? How many, "nows", is that eric-boy?
Ahhh, with the recovery obvious, albeit slow (due to particularly your OBSTRUCTIONISM), it is coming like a freight train -- coming, and coming... and the expected counter-attack by GOP-friendly big-oil cronies conspiring with creeps like you, eric cantor and the GOP: surely working hard to roll back any recovery!!
Hear this eric-boy: the wall-street corrupted GOP's fascist quest to regain power, at any cost to the Country and suffering of the working classes, IS THE REAL ISSUE, BUTT-WIPE!!
And, just what has been that "Central issue" of the GOP primaries, eric-boy?
Abortion? Contraception? So-called Religious freedom?
eric-boy, you disgust any intelligent person
Give it a break eric. Your brazen lies, deceptions, distractions, manipulations are simply pathetic but they do define "you", 100%!
Go kiss nethanyahu's backside, traitor!
Is this guy serious? He may get voted out in the next election. I don't think Romney wants this guy's endorsement.
Conservative Code Word (Whites Only)
Blame Rush L.
Conservative = White Rights (Only)
Mission - Reverse civil rights - social programs - equality
- Control Laws - Separate from others - Preach Doom & Gloom
WILL NOT HELP THE NATION (NO WAY NO HOW)
For the sole purpose of re-establishing White Power as Jim Crowe Laws did in the past - Protect White Rights at all cost
How - Telling people the Liberal Media is against
Conservative by reporting facts - Everybody else is foreigners to America -
Using the language of Lincoln, The US Constitution as designed only for
Conservative Right interpretation
Undermine the Government authority through corporate
influence and legislation by placing only “Conservative” lawmakers in key
positions - Transparency is exposing the practice - Internet access has that affect
- Truth will be Exposed. (God)
People of color has immoral values according to White American
ancestry (Not All)
Laws of equality is eroding society - US Society should not
have Government intervention - State Governance is preferred by regional
authority (Jim Crowe)
Women serve as one purpose only (over the top)
Conservative extreme right activist have hijacked civil discourse
to an underlining war on all Americans not holding the views of closet bigots,
racial disdainers, power hungry influencers under the disguise of Religious
freedoms according to the Conservative Christian Right. Makes one wonder what
God they are worshipping.
Opinions are one thing but one answer/solution to all
problems is self delusional at best.
Rush Limbaugh has unleashed an unintentional backlash of
those views. The conservative coded messaging system is now threatened from
within.
And NO I do not want to justify any of your beliefs.
You can educate yourself by reading facts from other
sources. You would think we should have moved past this relic thinking in 2012 from
the nation’s own history of divisive practices.
Read: Dear White America by Tim Wise
America is a team of people and the President the coach. Sideline
haters are not welcomed.
Conservative is now a bad word for the rest of us (Just
saying)
WTFHAPPENED
republicans introduced and passed the civil rights act of 1964.
democrats robert byrd filibustered against the civil rights act, along with al gore sr.
robert byrd was a recruiter for the KKK, there is no telling how many black folks were lynched because of robert byrds efforts in the white supremacist group in the 60s. the kkk killed white folks that were registering blacks to vote too...the whites that were killed were probably republican as well.
the democrats have claimed to be the party of the minority race....yet their districts are run down, folks living in poor conditions, high drug areas, high black on black violence and murder....these same democrats have been their representatives in washington for 40 years and the places where black folks live have only gotten worse and worse.
when a black republican works closely with a republican president, or is a cabinet member the black caucus is quick to insult them, call them "house negro" and in some cases worse.
i like the fact that so many black folks are tired of obamas lies, he promised them change.....and things got a whole lot worse for the black community in this country....the highest unemployment there has ever been in the black community. i am glad some folks see through obama and the DNC. when the left calls republicans and white folks "racists" they are trying to blame their own failures on the GOP.
Ummm...keck...the two parties have evolved and shifted over the years. Pay attention.
I am a moderate independent who did not vote for Obama in the last election. I will say after watching these guys that I don't care who Cantor endorses. He is just another right wing nut. Maybe he can get his own radio show like Rush since his sponsors are dropping him.
Eric Cantor is just such a toad and so woosey. This whole group that line up to kiss the a## of Bohener make you want to throw up. How in the world can anyone see and listen to this guy and think to themselves, "Boy that's the party I want to vote for"?
One Wingnut endorses another? Who cares!!!
Cantor's endorsement should be poison to the candidate in receipt. It just shows how seriously unbalanced much of our citizenry has become that it is not.
Considering what a tool Eric Cantor is this should go into the anti-endorsement category.
He may play well to the Republican base, but it only drives Romney farther to the right and ensures that no independent voters will vote for him in the general election.
He might as well just starting singing, 'I am a little TEA Party, tip me over and hear me pout'.
Kiss of death.
Eric's endorsement has about the same weight as Donald Trumps endorsement for Romney(who reminds me of a used car salesman on a decrepit lot) Romney will tell you ANYTHING you want to hear!
Eric Cantor endorsing a "liberal"????? Things must be worse than I thought for the GOP.
Cantor, the guy who's policies helped create the Great Recession. If I were Romney I'd say "thanks, but no thanks!"
Let's hope next November the good people of Virginia do not send someone so far out of touch with the mainstream as Mr. Cantor. He is not helpful at all to the State of our Nation. As a matter of fact, he is a detriment to our Nation.
I'm ashamed being from Virginia that we have fools who voted for this fraud and Idiots like this jerk Cantor representing Virginia... Incredible how stupid people are when money can buy weasels like this moron...
I'm definitely not a Republican, but I would like a Republican to tell me: Does Cantor's endorsement matter? I mean, I'm asking, seriously. Does anyone ever care about what he says?
obama is trying to save amewrica