Bob Dole endorses Romney

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WASHINGTON — US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Sunday scored an important endorsement from a fellow Republican heavyweight, former senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole.

“I’ve known Mitt and his family for decades. His parents instilled in him a strong work ethic, rock-solid conservative values, and a deep sense of service to others,” the former Kansas senator and 1996 Republican presidential nominee wrote in an advertisement published in The Des Moines Register, the leading Iowa newspaper.

“These traits — which have shone through in both the debates and in my own visits with him — will serve him well in the White House,” Dole added about the former Massachusetts governor.

The endorsement came ahead of the January 3 Iowa caucuses. A win in these contests will give one of the Republican hopefuls a huge boost going into the next primaries in New Hampshire on January 10, which are swiftly followed by a vote in South Carolina on January 21.

The Republican nominee will get to challenge President Barack Obama in next November’s general election.

On Saturday, The Des Moines Register editorial board endorsed Romney.