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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Club for Growth Announces Three Congressional Endorsements

The Club for Growth, the powerful pro-free-market group, endorsed three candidates for Congress today.

The club’s PAC gave its nod to Keith Rothfus, the GOP nominee in Pennsylvania’s 12th district against Rep. Mark Critz (D); Thomas Massie, a tea-party-affiliated candidate in the crowded GOP primary in Kentucky’s open 4th district; and state Sen. Ron Gould, taking on Rep. Paul Gosar and Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu in a competitive GOP primary in Arizona’s 4th district. Full story

Arizona: Jim DeMint Endorses Jeff Flake in Senate Primary

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint today endorsed Rep. Jeff Flake in the Arizona GOP Senate primary.

In a letter to his Senate Conservatives Fund, a political action committee dedicated to electing conservatives to the Senate, DeMint wrote that “nobody has done more to advance the cause of freedom than Jeff Flake.” Full story

Blue Dogs Endorse Three More Candidates

The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition will add three more candidates to its roster of endorsed candidates today, Roll Call has learned.

The Blue Dogs, who lost two Pennsylvania Members in Democratic primaries Tuesday, endorsed former state Rep. Dave Crooks in Indiana’s 8th district; former state Rep. Pam Gulleson in North Dakota’s at-large district; and former state Rep. Gary McDowell in Michigan’s 1st district.

“In Dave, Pam, and Gary, the Blue Dogs have added three impressive candidates with a strong commitment to fiscal responsibility and representing the commonsense center of American politics,” Blue Dog PAC co-chairman Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) said in a statement. “Each of them brings unique backgrounds and experiences to the Blue Dogs, and we look forward to working with them in the our efforts to streamline government and encourage business growth and job creation.”

The Blue Dog PAC has endorsed eight other candidates this cycle: former Reps. Nick Lampson (Texas) and Charlie Wilson (Ohio) and Leonard Bembry (Fla.), Clark Hall (Ark.), Brendan Mullen (Ind.), Hayden Rogers (N.C.), Ted Vick (S.C.) and Rob Wallace (Okla.).

North Carolina: Mark Meadows Picks Up Jeff Duncan Endorsement

Real estate investor Mark Meadows, the apparent frontrunner in the crowded GOP primary in North Carolina’s open 11th district, picked up the endorsement of Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) today.

“Mark Meadows will fight for what’s right, because he understands that higher taxes and more regulations are not the way to solve our country’s problems,” Duncan said in a statement released by the Meadows campaign. “Conservatives of Western North Carolina should send Mark Meadows to Congress. We need his help.”

Duncan’s spokesman confirmed the endorsement. Duncan, along with Reps. Tim Scott, Trey Gowdy and Mick Mulvaney, make up a group of strongly conservative freshman Republicans from the Palmetto State. Full story

Utah: Orrin Hatch Picks Up Chamber Endorsement

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Although Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) still has to get through his primary challenge from state Sen. Dan Liljenquist, he picked up a big endorsement Wednesday. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced the group is endorsing Hatch in his re-election bid. Full story

Jim DeMint: No ‘Silly’ Endorsement Forthcoming

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

As it became increasingly clear this month that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney would win GOP presidential nomination, several elected Republicans and party bigwigs who had steered clear of the volatile 2012 primary officially backed his candidacy, leading journalists and other political observers to joke about the late endorsements on Twitter with hash tags such as #profilesincourage.

During a brief interview Tuesday afternoon, Sen. Jim DeMint indicated a desire to avoid the “profiles in courage” ridicule, telling Roll Call that he would stick by his vow not to endorse in a primary contest that is still technically under way. The South Carolina Republican and tea party favorite chuckled that it would be funny for him to officially back Romney only now that it is obvious he is going to be the nominee against President Barack Obama. Full story