A Battle of Endorsements

With Iowa and New Hampshire fast approaching, Republicans pols and publications are starting to line up behind candidates. In any normal year, they'd start to line up behind the candidate chosen by the mainstream of the party, but this is no normal election.

Mitt Romney, who has not been spending much time or money in Iowa, decided to jump into the state with the endorsement of South Dakota Senator John Thune, who himself came close to running this cycle. This could be seen as a surprise to many, as Thune, in an examination of his voting record, is more of a consistent Conservative than Romney, yet their endorsement also is an act of lining up behind who they believe will be the winner, as it will improve their standing in the party.

Rick Perry, yesterday, gained the endorsement of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. This is an important endorsement, as Arpaio has a significant TEA Party following, yet a bit of a surprise, considering the sheriff's position on illegal immigration, combined with Perry's "have a heart" moment.

Newt Gingrich just received the endorsement of the New Hampshire Union Leader, an influential newspaper in the state that holds the first primary. Many thought Romney would have gained this endorsement, as he's predicted to win New Hampshire, but this was a significant upset that favors the Speaker. Also a surprise is former President Bill Clinton's comments of praise of Gingrich. Considering the two battled it out in the 1990s, this is big and goes a long way into helping Newt battle critics that his time and lack of achievements as Speaker make him unelectable.

This race is young and will only get more interesting as we get closer to Iowa and New Hampshire.