Michele Bachmann endorses Mitt Romney for president

Portsmouth - Michelle Bachman has endorsed her former rival Mitt Romney, saying he is "the last chance we have to keep America from going...over a cliff." Bachmann ended her presidential run in January after she placed sixth in Iowa's Republican presidential caucuses.

Bachman, in statement, said she felt "honored" to back Romney and described him as "a man who will preserve the American dream of prosperity and liberty." At a campaign event in Portsmouth, Va., she told supporters she was pleased to introduce him as "our president." She said: "I think for all of America, this is a very simple proposition this November: President Barack Obama or President Mitt Romney? Very easy." Huffington Post reports she said: "This is the last chance we have to keep America from going 'forward,' over the cliff, as Governor Romney said, and restore the values of prosperity and freedom. This is the opportunity for conservatives, independents, and disaffected Democrats to join me and Governor Romney in denying Obama a second term. On November 6th, the only option is Mitt Romney for President." ABC News reports that the Romney campaign has been lobbying Bachmann to endorse Romney for months, but she recently told reporters that she would give her endorsement at her own time and not others'. Democrats have been recalling the tea party favorite's scathing criticism of Romney while she was working to recommend herself for nomination. The Washington Post reports that Bachmann had based her campaign primarily on opposition to Obama's health-care reform. According to The Washington Post, in December, she described Romney as the “only governor in the history of the United States to put into place socialized medicine.” She said Romney could not beat Obama because he wrote "the blueprint of Obamacare." ABC News reports she said: "The signature issue of Obama is 'Obamacare.' You can't have a candidate who has given the blueprint for Obamacare. It's too identical. It's not going to happen. We have to have a candidate, a bold, distinct candidate, in the likeness of Ronald Reagan." Huffiington Post reports she also criticized Romney, saying: "Unfortunately for too many Republicans, they also aspire to be frugal socialists. The reason President Obama and some Republicans can get behind socialized medicine is because they share the same core political philosophy about the purpose of government. We cannot preserve liberty if the choice is between a frugal socialist and an out-of-control socialist." Having endorsed Romney, she has effectively backed off her claims that Romney is a "socialist," critics note. Romney will be hoping that Bachmann would be an asset in wooing conservatives who have expressed skepticism about his candidacy. The Los Angeles Times comments that with her ties to the tea party and evangelical groups, Bachmann could help Romney win over conservative voters among whom she is widely admired for her tenacity and independence. The Washington Post reports that former Bachmann campaign manager Keith Nahigian said the two candidates have always liked each other. He said: “She really liked Romney during all the debates. Really liked him behind the stage, behind the scenes. He was so polite to her every time they saw each other.” In an interview with CNN last week, Bachmann said she was working behind the scenes "to bring all factions of the party together in the effort to beat Obama in November."