Two days before his state’s Super Tuesday Primary, Virginia Republican Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader, endorsed Mitt Romney for President on Meet the Press. Cantor is the first Republican Congressional leader to endorse in the GOP primary, and many noted the impact of his Meet the Press announcement on the race. The Washington Post wrote “GOP establishment, such as it is, had largely sat on its collective hands in the race so far” but on Sunday, “All that might have started to change for Romney … as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a leading opponent of Obama and the closest thing in congressional leadership to a tea party leader, jumped off the fence and got behind the former Massachusetts governor.” The LA Times, among many others, reported Cantor’s praise of Romney on MTP: “’Mitt Romney is the only candidate in the race who’s put forward a bold, pro-growth, pro-jobs plan for the future,’ Cantor said in an interview on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’” Politico also blogged that Cantor said on Sunday that his endorsement doesn’t mean he is looking for a spot on Romney’s ticket.
Possible Presidential GOP nominee Newt Gingrich also spoke with David as part of MTP’s Super Tuesday coverage. Politico noted Gingrich’s sharp criticism of his GOP opponent Rick Santorum: “Gingrich pointed out on Sunday that Santorum sided with unions in key votes when he was a senator from Pennsylvania … ‘Santorum has a harder time when he gets outside the industrial states,’ Gingrich said on NBC's ‘Meet the Press.’” And a Boston Globe article highlighted Gingrich’s belief that the Republican Party will unite against President Obama, no matter what: “Gingrich says he has no doubts that the Republican presidential candidates who fall short of winning the nomination will unite behind the eventual nominee -- despite the often tough rhetoric the contenders are throwing at each other during the campaign.”
