Top Thompson Fla. fundraiser joins Romney

One of Fred Thompson’s top fundraisers in South Florida has taken her talents to the campaign of Mitt Romney now that the former Tennessee senator is out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination.

Anita Mitchell told The Hill she decided to back the former Massachusetts governor Wednesday, citing her concerns about the economy and Romney’s record as both a businessman and CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympics.

{mosads}Mitchell said she decided to go with Romney after she was contacted by the other GOP campaigns. She said she will likely start raising money for the former governor after she meets with him Sunday.

Mitchell said she thinks “a lot of the people I brought to the table for Fred will go with Romney.”

Scoring Mitchell and her considerable Sunshine State connections could prove to be invaluable for Romney in Florida’s Jan. 29 primary, as poll after poll continues to show a tight race.

Another source with the Romney campaign told The Hill that the campaign’s internal polling shows a statistical tie, with Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) leading the pack at 22 percent, followed by Romney at 20 percent and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani at 19 percent.

And the campaigns hoping for the crown jewel of Florida endorsements — popular Gov. Charlie Crist’s — will likely come up wanting.

A high-ranking Republican official in the state told The Hill that Crist is not likely to endorse any of the Republican candidates.

—  Sam Youngman

Clinton’s S.C. return hurts Edwards’s argument

Former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) said Wednesday that his rival for the Democratic presidential nod, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), is ignoring South Carolina and would continue to give the state the cold shoulder if she were the nominee or the president.

The problem with that argument is that Clinton is scheduled to give a “major” address at Furman University in Greenville, S.C., and former President Bill Clinton has been a fixture in the Palmetto State all week.

Speaking at an event in Bennettsville, S.C., Edwards said: “Right after the debate she flew out and she’s been gone and she won’t be back until I don’t know — later in the week or until Primary Day.

“And the question is, if she’s not going to spend time here the week before the South Carolina primary, what do you think the chances are she’s coming back after the primary? And what are the chances she’s coming back when she’s president of the United States?” Edwards said.

The Clinton campaign responded Wednesday that Edwards is “grasping at straws.”

“He also knows that Sen. Clinton has campaigned hard in South Carolina and will advocate for the state when she is president,” Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said.

Joe Werner, executive director of the state Democratic Party, said that while he thinks Clinton needs to come to the state to make her “closing argument,” he has heard no “outcry” from state voters who think Clinton is ignoring the state.

“I haven’t gotten any calls asking us to demand she comes here … especially with President Clinton here,” Werner said.

— Sam Youngman

Hunter backs Huckabee

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) endorsed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) in the GOP presidential primary on Wednesday.

 Hunter’s endorsement could help Huckabee with his credentials on illegal immigration and border security. The congressman’s presidential campaign never caught fire and ended Saturday, following the Nevada Caucus.

— Aaron Blake

GOP candidates back earmarks executive order

President Bush can turn to Republican presidential candidates for moral support in his battle against earmarks, including issuing a potential executive order telling federal agencies to ignore lawmakers’ pet projects.

The move would likely raise the ire of Capitol Hill, but several GOP presidential candidates, including Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), have said they would pull the trigger if they were in Bush’s position.

“Under a McCain presidency, he wouldn’t have signed the bill in the first place. No earmarks,” said Jill Hazelbaker, a spokeswoman for his campaign. She added McCain would support Bush in whatever measure he can take to end earmarks.

Several other GOP candidates have voiced similar support to end the practice, including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

But Bush will not find an ally in Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) if he does issue such an executive order. Paul’s spokesman, Jesse Benton, said cutting the earmarks would not reduce spending, but instead send their funds to “unaccountable bureaucrats.”

“We need to look to shrink the size of the pie,” said Benton about the federal budget overall.

— Kevin Bogardus

Dodd and the Wright brothers

When asked about his failed presidential campaign on Thursday, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) joked that it was like what happened to the Wright brothers’ plane at Kitty Hawk, N.C.: It struggled to “get off the ground.”

In his first Senate press conference since ending his bid after the Iowa caucuses, Dodd said that the next president will need to work hard and build bipartisan relationships to get results.

“It doesn’t just happen with just speeches and the like,” he said.

— Walter Alarkon