Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who ran a spirited campaign until last week for the Republican Party presidential nomination, endorsed Arizona Senator John McCain for president Thursday, February 14. Romney had suspended his campaign, he said, because he believed the party needed to unite now in order to begin campaigning against the Democrats, who have been voting in the primaries in record numbers. Although the 280 delegates Romney won while still in the nomination hunt are not bound to vote for McCain at Romney's behest, they're doing so in toto would put McCain within 10 delegates of the 1191 delegate votes needed to secure the Republican nomination for president at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Romney's endorsement will also possibly give McCain much-needed support among the Republican conservative base, a constituency from which he has had little support.