WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney’s campaign for the GOP presidential nod got another boost yesterday from a senator with strong Tea Party ties.
Freshman Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) threw his weight behind the front-runner, joining a number of other prominent lawmakers affiliated with the Tea Party in viewing Romney’s nomination as inevitable.
The announcement comes just two days before Wisconsin’s pivotal primary.
Johnson described Romney as “ready, willing and able” to lead the country.
“I just want to reassure every conservative: I’ve spoken to Mitt,” Johnson told voters at a pancake breakfast in Milwaukee. “I totally believe he is committed to saving America.”
He later told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he was “urging the voters of Wisconsin: Let’s lead. Let’s show that this is the time to bring this process to an end so we can focus our attention on retiring President Obama.”
The endorsement follows those of the state’s most popular Republican, Congressman Paul Ryan, and such Tea Party favorites as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
In addition to Wisconsin, a winner-take-all state with 42 delegates, GOP voters will go to the polls tomorrow in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Maryland has 37 up for grabs and DC 19.
A confident Romney predicted victory in the Badger State.
“We’re looking like we’re going to win this thing [tomorrow],” he said.
Sen. Rick Santorum’s candidacy is doomed if he fails to win Wisconsin, experts say. But the ex-Pennsylvania senator vowed to stay in to the bitter end.
“Look, this race isn’t even at halftime yet,” he told Fox News. “We look at the calendar and feel very, very good.”
He acknowledged that a win in his home state’s April 24 primary is crucial but said he’s also banking on future primary wins down South.
Romney’s staff, meanwhile, played an April Fools joke on him when they took him to a ballroom for a campaign breakfast with supporters.
While the candidate waited in the wings, Ryan gave a rousing endorsement speech.
But when Romney took the stage, he saw there was no one in the audience.
“Not only do they do that, but they caught it on camera,” Romney later said. “This is known as ‘Forgive, but remember.’ ”
The event was real but in another ballroom.