Romney picks up key endorsements in New Hampshire and Florida

Mitt Romney picked up endorsements from key Republicans in two crucial primary states, as he moves to coalesce party support for his 2012 nomination bid.

Former Sens. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and Mel Martinez of Florida announced Monday they are backing the former Massachusetts governor in the GOP primary.

Gregg, who backed Romney's 2008 bid, has been a fixture in Granite State politics for more than three decades, serving first in Congress beginning in 1981. He won the governorship in 1988 and later served three terms in the Senate, before retiring earlier this year.

He's still considered one of the most influential Republicans in the state—though his influence wasn't able to help Romney beat John McCain in the state four years ago.

But Martinez is a major get for Romney, as his campaign attempts to cast Florida as a firewall against possible losses in other early primary states, like South Carolina.

The former senator, who is Cuban-American, previously served as chairman of the Republican National Committee and was the first Latino to lead a national party.

Not only can he help Romney appeal to Hispanic voters in the state—a crucial voting constituency—but Martinez, who resigned from the Senate in 2009, also holds strong influence among social conservatives in the party, a base that has had doubts about Romney's beliefs.

In 2008, Martinez backed McCain late in the Florida primary—an endorsement that was credited, in part, with the Arizona senator's last minute surge and victory in the state, which ultimately forced Romney out of the race.

Polls in both states have Romney in the lead. A WMUR/University of New Hampshire poll released last week found Romney with a 25 point lead over his nearest competitor, Herman Cain. But Romney's lead in Florida is considerably narrower. A War Room Logistics poll of likely Republican primary voters found Romney leading Cain by just four points, 28 percent to 24 percent.

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