Mitt Romney Endorses Connie Mack to Challenge Bill Nelson

U.S. Rep. Connie Mack got a boost for his bid to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in November when he won heavy praise from former Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate.

Campaigning in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Romney announced that he was endorsing Mack who has been a longtime supporter of his presidential ambitions.

Connie Mack is a friend, a strong conservative and the type of principled leader we need in Washington to restore fiscal responsibility, Romney said on Wednesday. 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.

Mack praised Romney and pointed to his big win over his rivals in the Florida Republican presidential primary at the end of January.

Mitt Romney's leadership will put the country back on the road to freedom and prosperity, and Floridians made that clear on Jan. 31, Mack insisted. Having the endorsement of the next president of the United States is truly humbling, and together we will fight for our shared conservative vision for Florida and the nation.Mitt Romney and I believe the best ideas come from people, not from government, and that is something we discussed at length on our journey throughout Florida in January.Conservatives across the nation know the road to retaking both the White House and the Senate must include victories at every level of the Florida GOP ticket in November, and today is another large step in building our united front against the lockstep liberal agenda of Bill Nelson and Barack Obama."