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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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Why would anyone Listen to Eric Cantor? The man who, along with Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, wish to eliminate Social Security in favor of 401K plans in the stock market. A Stock Market where retirees saw their 401Ks lose 50% of the value 4 years ago. A stock market designed to take people's money?
I'm a Conservative and a Republican, but I wouldn't endore these characters plans for these programs. Reminds me of the Carpet Baggers and Robber Baron's who convince the people to buy their elixir which will solve their problems. Once bought, the people find the elixir is simply Castor oil and those that sold them the elixir simply stole their money.
At least the Democrats hide their schemes with the shell game, making you believe their laws and regulations eliminate the need for the people to spend their cash, only to raise everyone's taxes to pay for it. While it might not cost any cash out of pocket, higher taxes on gross wages, gives you less money in your paycheck and pocket.
Cantor? A kiss of death for Romney at best.......
IMHO Eric Cantor is a political hack and weasel.
Let's see . . .Cantor supporting Romney . . . two peas in a pod . . . and Romney wants his supposed home state? With an endorsement from the man who said dump Detroit and the auto industry I am sure ROmney will win the state . . . NOT!!!!
Cantor go away and sing some where else. You don't play in Michigan - except with the militia groups . . . oops not true - He is Jewish.
How is it that there is so much hate out there for Cantor? He is one of the few guys out there that speaks his mind, doesn't care if you agree and doesn't follow the pack. The Dems have a few of those as well, but they get lost amid the Obamania.
We need some freshness out there to problem solve, not the same old crap. AKA Wasserman-Schultz. It's got to be a bi-partisan solution and it will be. But we need to get rid of the dead wood.
For Rick307058:
Political history isn't something taught in our schools, except for the high priced private schools. The Great Depression was caused by individuals gaming the stock market, and preying upon people's greed. This resulted in bankers taking depositors money and risking it in the stock market. The result was the bankers lost depositors money. This was a time before FDIC. The money lost was gone and in the pockets of a few individuals who profited from the crash.
What Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, and most of the Republican party want to do is solve the financial problems with social security is by moving retirees "entitlement" , a guaranteed monthly check from the government, to risky 401K retirement plans based upon the stock market. The Republicans, under President Clinton's administration repealed most banking regulations created during the Great Depression, which allows banks to once again gamble on the stock market, but with 1 change, there still is the FDIC. If retirees retirement money is all in 401Ks, the investment banks have all that money to play with and collect fees on with zero regulations on safeguarding those retirement accounts. Gone is the secure, monthly check from the government, replaced with unsecure and an ever changing value of 401Ks.
Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell and the Republcian party are trying to setup the american people to once again, allow a small group of people to legally steal the people's money, with the excuse that the stock market flucuates thus retiree account's value flucuates, and their not responsible.
You would do well to realize that in retirement, social security gives you a guaranteed monthly check. A guaranteed monthly income. 401Ks do not. As the value of the 401K changes, so to is the amount of money you have to live off of when your not working anymore and have no means of income.
Cantor is nothing but a little snob smartass loser. He THINKS he is tough, but he is a waste of time.
Of course he went with Romney, thats where the money is. Pugs will always follow the money, its there weakness.
He just wants another obstructionist politician to add to the gridlock that has become the norm in Washington.