Florida: Connie Mack IV Gets Mitt Romney Endorsement

Rep. Connie Mack IV (above) got the endorsement of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Florida Rep. Connie Mack IV (R) today got the endorsement of presumptive GOP White House nominee Mitt Romney, boosting his effort to win the GOP nomination to take on two-term Sen. Bill Nelson (D).

“Connie Mack is a friend, a strong conservative and the type of principled leader we need in Washington to restore fiscal responsibility,” the former Massachusetts governor said in a statement. “By electing Connie Mack, the people of Florida will be sending a clear message to Senator Nelson and President Obama that their failed policies have not worked to change the borrow and spend ways of Washington.” Full story

FreedomWorks Backs Three Upstarts for Open House Seats

FreedomWorks announced its support for three upstart Republican House candidates today, pitting the conservative grass-roots group against local elected officials in each state.

The group endorsed Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer in North Dakota’s at-large seat; Lewis County Judge Executive Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s 4th district; and former state Sen. Sam Aanestad in California’s 1st district.

All three candidates are running in open-seat races. FreedomWorks’ support is notable because it’s backing the underdogs in each race and, in one case, going against the state party’s endorsement.

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California: Howard Berman Greeted Obama in Brad Sherman’s District

Neither President Barack Obama nor former President Bill Clinton have officially picked sides in the clash of Democratic Congressmen from California’s San Fernando Valley. But Obama and Clinton have dropped strong hints regarding where they stand.

It was Rep. Howard Berman — not Rep. Brad Sherman — who greeted Obama on Thursday at the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, which is in Sherman’s current district. Berman then rode with Obama in the motorcade to a campaign fundraiser at the Studio City home of actor George Clooney, which is in the Congressman’s district. Full story

Kentucky: Rand Paul Backs Thomas Massie in Race to Succeed Geoff Davis

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) today filmed a TV ad in support of Congressional candidate Thomas Massie and plans to endorse him soon.

“I’ve made the decision today to go ahead and help him,” Paul said in an interview today in his Senate office. “I filmed an ad for him today.”

Massie, the Lewis County judge-executive, is locked in a competitive race for Kentucky’s open 4th district seat, currently occupied by retiring Rep. Geoff Davis (R). The other two top contenders in the race are state Rep. Alecia Webb-Edgington and Boone County Judge-Executive Gary Moore. Full story

Palins Endorse Ted Cruz in Texas Senate Race

Ted Cruz, who is battling to get into a possible runoff in the Texas Senate race, got the endorsement of Sarah Palin. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, have endorsed another Senate candidate in a contested Republican primary: former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz.

Cruz told supporters in an email that he sought her support via a letter.

“We’re proud to join conservatives in Texas and throughout the nation in supporting your campaign to become the next Senator from the Lone Star State,” Palin wrote back.

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Florida: Connie Mack IV Gets Rand Paul Endorsement

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Paul’s backing could boost Mack’s conservative credentials. The Florida Congressman is battling former Sen. George LeMieux for the GOP Senate nomination.

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Sarah Palin Endorses Deb Fischer in Nebraska Senate Race

(Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, have endorsed Deb Fischer, providing the state Senator’s struggling bid to succeed retiring Sen. Ben Nelson (D) an adrenaline shot six days before the GOP primary.

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Rick Santorum Endorses Mitt Romney

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

It happened while many on the East Coast slept — and you had look hard to find the key passage — but late Monday evening Rick Santorum formally endorsed Mitt Romney for president.

In an email to supporters that hit around 11 p.m., the former Pennsylvania Senator backed his one-time rival for the GOP presidential nomination, saying the race against President Barack Obama was too important for him to stand on the sidelines. Santorum’s backing, clear and unmistakable, was delivered about a month after he dropped out of the primary and essentially delivered the nomination to Romney, a former Massachusetts governor. Full story

New Jersey: Bill Clinton Endorses Bill Pascrell

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Updated 2:36 p.m. | President Bill Clinton has done it again.

Today he announced he is backing Rep. Bill Pascrell (D) over fellow Democratic Rep. Steven Rothman in their New Jersey primary. This is the third Member-vs.-Member race the former president has waded into — and in each case he has backed the lawmaker who supported his wife in the 2008 presidential race.

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Nebraska: Rick Santorum Backs Jon Bruning for Senate

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) threw his support behind state Attorney General Jon Bruning’s (R) primary bid for the open Nebraska Senate seat today.

The endorsement marks the former presidential candidate’s first foray into Congressional politics since dropping out of the national race in April, and it puts him at odds with some conservatives and tea party champions in Washington, D.C. — including Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) — who have backed state Treasurer Don Stenberg. Full story

Arkansas: Tom Cotton Gets John McCain Endorsement

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) today gave his endorsement to Tom Cotton, who is running for the GOP nomination in Arkansas’ 4th district. Cotton, an Army reservist with an impressive biography and a Harvard Law School degree, may get a boost from the endorsement in his competitive primary with 2010 GOP nominee Beth Anne Rankin.

“Tom Cotton volunteered to fight for our freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan when he could have continued a promising legal career,”  McCain said in a statement. “We badly need this kind of courage and selfless service in Congress — particularly to address our economic challenges. I’m asking the voters of the Fourth District to send Tom to Congress so he can join the fight for freedom there.” Full story

New Mexico: Rand Paul Backs Greg Sowards in GOP Primary

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul today endorsed a heavy underdog in the New Mexico Republican Senate primary.

Paul, a tea party leader in Congress, is backing businessman Greg Sowards, who has an uphill climb against former Rep. Heather Wilson in the June 5 GOP contest.

“I’m calling on conservatives, libertarians, and Tea Party activists in New Mexico and across the nation to support Greg Sowards,” Paul said in a statement. “He will stand for the Constitution and I’m proud to stand with him.” Full story

Missouri: Gov. Jay Nixon Endorses William Lacy Clay

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) today endorsed Rep. William Lacy Clay in his Democratic primary fight against Rep. Russ Carnahan.

The endorsement was a significant boost for Clay. Full story

Arizona: Jeb Bush Endorses Matt Salmon; Raul Grijalva Backs David Schapira

State Senate Minority Leader David Schapira (above) picked up the endorsement of Rep. Raúl Grijalva. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Two Arizona House candidates each picked up an endorsement that will likely help them in their contested primaries.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) is endorsing former Rep. Matt Salmon in Salmon’s quest to return to Congress in Arizona’s 5th district. And on Monday, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D) announced he is backing state Senate Minority Leader David Schapira in his race for the 9th district seat.

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Florida: Herman Cain Endorses George LeMieux for Senate

Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain endorsed former Sen. George LeMieux in the Florida Senate race. (Christina Bellantoni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Former GOP presidential contender Herman Cain endorsed former Sen. George LeMieux (R) Friday night in his bid to return to the Senate.

“This is the type of person that we need in Washington, D.C.,” Cain said at a county Lincoln Day dinner. “People who are not afraid to challenge the establishment; people who are there to represent the people and not represent politics; people who understand that it’s time that we stop shuffling the chairs on the deck of the Titanic and start solving stuff.”

LeMieux faces an uphill battle in his bid for the GOP nomination against frontrunner Rep. Connie Mack IV.

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