One sign Mitt Romney’s campaign may be emerging from the woods after the Newt Gingrich scare: they’re racking up some big endorsements.
Former President George H.W. Bush offered an unofficial nod of support this week, making clear in an interview with the Houston Chronicle that he was going with Romney.
“I think Romney is the best choice for us,” Bush said. “I like Perry, but he doesn’t seem to be going anywhere; he’s not surging forward.”
As for Gingrich, Bush deadpanned that he’s “not his biggest advocate” after their 1990s conflicts over taxes.
Romney scored another big Republican name this week in former presidential nominee and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, who backed him even though Romney said he was “probably the last person” whose endorsement he’d want in 2008 when he backed John McCain.
Several prominent elected officials have backed Romney in the last few days, including Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL), Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), and GOP freshmen Reps. Nan Hayworth (R-NY) and Michael Grimm (R-NY). He now has 60 Capitol Hill lawmakers his campaign versus 8 for Gingrich, who did score a couple of important state endorsements in New Hampshire and Iowa this week. Romney has long led the endorsement race, but the fact that many are still getting off the fence and announcing their backing may suggest that the bandwagon effect is starting to kick in as Gingrich fades in the polls.
