Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has endorsed Mitt Romney’s presidential bid, throwing his weight behind the presumptive GOP nominee even as his father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), has yet to fully terminate his White House bid.
Rand Paul made the move in an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity."
"Well, you know, my first choice had always been my father. ... He is still my first pick," Paul said, according to a rush transcript of the appearance. "But now that the nominating process is over, tonight, I am happy to announce I am supporting Governor Romney."
In a statement, Romney said that he was “honored” to receive the endorsement of Paul, a freshman lawmaker and founding member of the Senate Tea Party Caucus who is believed to be mulling his own future bid for national office.
“Senator Paul has been a leading voice in the effort to scale back the size and reach of government and promote liberty,” Romney said. “Over the past three and half years, President Obama has made government more and more of a presence in our lives, and Americans can’t afford four more years of the same failed policies. As president, I will reform the federal government and make it smaller, simpler, and smarter.”
The endorsement lends Romney further tea-party backing as he solidifies his support among the GOP faithful.
And it comes as Paul’s father technically remains a candidate in the White House race, although Romney has already clinched the 1,144 delegates necessary to win the nomination.
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