Will DeMint back Romney? Republicans say yes, but his aides say no

Perhaps no one has been more hot and cold on Mitt Romney's presidential bid than South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint.

The tea party leader backed Romney's campaign four years ago. But in recent months, he's offered mixed signals about whether he'd do the same in 2012, largely because of the health care reforms Romney signed into law as governor of Massachusetts.

It's a back and forth that continues today. Citing Republicans close to the senator, Roll Call reports DeMint is leaning toward backing Romney in the primary, suggesting there's no other candidate close to winning his support.

"Jim is far more likely to endorse Mitt than anyone else currently in the race," a Republican with South Carolina ties tells Roll Call's David Drucker. "Jim is a business guy and that's his background. He's not really the good ol' boy conservative type. So Mitt in a lot of ways is a more comfortable fit for him."

But Wesley Denton, a spokesman for DeMint, tells Politico the story is a "fabrication made up of anonymous sources that obviously have no clue what Sen. DeMint is thinking."

The relationship between Romney and DeMint is among the most closely watched heading into the heat of the Republican primary. The South Carolina senator's support would be a major get for Romney as he tries to win over Republicans skeptical of his conservative beliefs and would also give him an important boost in a key early primary state.

But DeMint is in a sticky position. As one of the tea party's most prominent leaders, he led the charge against President Obama's health care law. But White House officials have said the legislation was modeled in part after the bill Romney passed in Massachusetts, which also included a mandate for individual coverage--the provision most staunchly opposed by Republicans.

Four years ago, DeMint praised Romney's bill as an effective way of offering private insurance at affordable prices—a compliment he repeated in March when he insisted Romney's bill wouldn't be a detriment to his campaign. But less than a day later, an unnamed aide to DeMint dialed back those comments, saying senator was "just trying to be nice" and insisting he would never endorse Romney unless he repudiated the Massachusetts law and admitted it was a mistake.

Romney hasn't done that—indeed, he's defended the legislation as a bill that was right for his constituents. At the same time, DeMint has publicly continued to offer mixed signals about whether that's a deal breaker for his endorsement.

In July, DeMint suggested Romney's health care bill wouldn't be a disqualifier for his campaign.

"I endorsed Romney last time, and I think he's a good candidate," DeMint said. "I'm not going to hold any one or two things against a candidate that they've done. I've had some bum votes in my life."