Mitt Romney wins Sen. Thune endorsement

On the campaign trail with Felicia Sonmez

DES MOINES -- Sen. John Thune (S.D.), a conservative member of the Republican Senate leadership, will endorse presidential candidate Mitt Romney during a campaign stop here on Wednesday.

Thune, who has been a popular figure in the party since unseating Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle in 2004, weighed a presidential bid of his own earlier this year, but decided not to run. He will accompany Romney at a morning event at Nationwide Insurance in downtown Des Moines; later in the day, the two will hold a tele-town hall event for Iowa supporters.

Thune will serve as co-chairman of Romney’s national advisory committee. His endorsement comes four days after Romney gained the support of Sen. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), a rising conservative star in the Senate. In a statement, Thune said Romney “has the needed experience to lead an economic recovery.”

“Mitt Romney has shown throughout his life in the private sector, as leader of the Olympics, as governor, and in this campaign that he will not back down from difficult challenges,” Thune said. “His plans to revitalize the private sector and restore our country’s fiscal health are drawn from his 25 year career as a conservative businessman. Washington could use these commonsense principles at such a critical time.”

Romney said he was honored to have Thune’s support. “On the issues that I have been fighting for in my campaign – creating a better business environment, lessening the regulatory burden, and ending Washington’s spending addiction – Senator Thune has been a leading voice in the Senate,” Romney said in a statement. “He will be a trusted adviser as I bring this message to voters, work to reverse President Obama’s failed policies, and reform Washington.”

Thune has strong name recognition in the northwest corner of Iowa that borders South Dakota, and his backing could prove beneficial to Romney’s efforts there. It comes as Romney intensifies his campaign in Iowa. His campaign opened a Des Moines headquarters last week, and Romney’s visit on Wednesday is his third to the state since mid-October.

Romney’s campaign had been courting Thune’s support for some time. Romney is one of the few candidates to have visited South Dakota, headlining a chamber of commerce dinner in Sioux Falls on Oct. 19 that attracted several thousand local business leaders. The turnout impressed Romney, who began his remarks by saying: “I think this is the biggest chamber gathering I’ve ever seen... I didn’t realize Sioux Falls was bigger than New York City.”