Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader, has endorsed Mitt Romney for president.
Cantor said that the 2012 presidential election will hinge on the issue of job creation and Cantor believes that Mitt Romney is the best man for the job.
Cantor 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. I just think there’s one candidate in the case who can do that, and it’s Mitt Romney.”
The New York Times reports that Cantor’s endorsement is big for the Romney campaign. Romney has been painted as too much of a moderate compared to Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, but with Cantor’s backing, who is perceived as a true conservative, Romney could gain some support on Super Tuesday.
Eric Fehrnstrom, a spokesman for Mr. Romney, said that Cantor’s endorsement will allow Republicans to ride on some coattails. Fehrnstrom said:
“I’ve got to 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. And I think nominating a person who doesn’t have any experience in the private sector, has been a Washington insider all of his life like Rick Santorum, is not a good contrast for the Republican party to put up against Barack Obama. I think the best contrast on jobs and the economy is to nominate Mitt Romney, who spent his entire career in the private sector.”
Do you think Cantor’s endorsement will help Mitt Romney on Super Tuesday?