Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush on Thursday formally endorsed Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential candidate and called on Republicans to rally behind him, Xinhua reported.
"We've known Mitt for a long time and he's the man to do this job and go on to win the presidency," Bush told reporters gathered in his Houston office, with his wife Barbara Bush and Romney at his side.
"I do think it's time for the party to get behind Governor Romney," Bush said.
His son, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, endorsed Romney last week. Former President George W. Bush, another Bush's son, has yet to make an endorsement. [ Bush, who served as a Republican president from 1989 to 1993, has always been a Romney supporter, but waited to make an endorsement out of respect for Texas Governor Rick Perry who also was seeking the Republican presidential nomination, according to Bush's spokesperson Jean Becker.
Recent polls show that Romney has about a 14-point lead over former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum.