Coincidental timing
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was in Oklahoma City when he found out Thursday that Oklahoma’s senior U.S. senator and the state’s congressman from Tulsa have tossed their support behind rival Fred Thompson, the former actor and U.S. senator from Tennessee.
Romney, making his third stop in Oklahoma this year, said he was not aware that U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe and U.S. Rep. John Sullivan, both Tulsa Republicans, officially have endorsed Thompson.
“I’ve got some senators who support me,” said Romney, 60, a former Massachusetts governor.
The timing of Inhofe’s endorsement – it was released Wednesday by the Thompson campaign – is what is interesting. It’s not surprising that Inhofe would support Thompson: He said in an article I wrote for the Aug. 22 edition of The Oklahoman that he would back Thompson if he got into the GOP primary presidential sweepstakes.
Former U.S. Rep. Ernest Istook of Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District, who served in Congress with Inhofe and Sullivan and is helping Romney in his campaign, was with Romney and downplayed the endorsements.
“Everybody’s entitled to their position,” he said. “The value of endorsements is universally overstated.”
Romney, who arrived late Tuesday in Oklahoma City and jogged Wednesday morning in downtown Oklahoma City, left for Phoenix after talking to about 50 supporters at a luncheon fundraiser Thursday at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City.
Michael McNutt, Capitol Bureau
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