GEORGIA SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE ERIC JOHNSON ENDORSES GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY

RC Note: Johnson had been a Fred Thompson supporter. Thompson is rumored to be getting out of the Presidential race after disappointing results in South Carolina.

Today, Georgia Senate President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson announced that he is endorsing Governor Mitt Romney for President of the United States. As the highest-ranking Republican in the Georgia Senate, Senator Johnson will help lead the Romney for President team in Georgia.
Making today's announcement, Senate President Pro Tempore Johnson issued the following statement:

"I believe that Mitt Romney is the most qualified person to address America's role in the global economy and to address the downsizing of Washington's expensive bureaucracy. We need less government and more jobs. We need someone who can talk international trade and terrorism as well as discuss monetary values as confidently as America's moral values. Governor Romney can lead America into the complex environment of the 21st Century.

"While I believed that Senator Fred Thompson offered Republicans a pro-business/pro-family agenda, it is now clear that he can no longer win the GOP nomination. As a leader of Georgia's conservative Republican majority, I want to encourage Republicans to support a man who has proven that he can govern in a 'blue state', has strong personal family values, and knows how to run a business and a state. He even proved he can run the Olympics. That's a resume we need to beat Obama or Clinton II.

"Our nominee must be able to win in November. Our quality of life and our national security depend on it."

Welcoming Senator Johnson's support, Governor Romney said, "It is an honor that President Pro Tempore Johnson would endorse my campaign for change in Washington. As a leader in the Georgia State Senate, he has been dedicated to helping small business, preparing our children for tomorrow's challenges and protecting public safety. I look forward to working with Senator Johnson as we approach the Georgia primary."

Senate President Pro Tempore Johnson joins U.S. Congressmen Tom Price, Phil Gingrey and Jack Kingston, House Speaker Pro Tempore Mark Burkhalter and many of their colleagues from the Georgia General Assembly in supporting Governor Romney.

Background On Senate President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson:

As Senate President Pro Tempore, Senator Johnson Is The Highest Ranking Republican In The Georgia State Senate. Senator Johnson represents Georgia's First Senate District and as Senate President Pro Tempore, helps run the day-to-day operations of the legislative body. Prior to 2003, he served two terms as the Minority Leader in the Senate. Senator Johnson also served one term in Georgia's House of Representatives before his election to the Senate in 1994. Outside of the Georgia General Assembly, Senator Johnson is an architect and works at North Point Industrial, a commercial and industrial development firm in Savannah, Georgia. He is married and has two children.