LaMontagne likely to endorse for president in fall

Conservative New Hampshire kingmaker Ovide LaMontagne said Friday that he intends to endorse in the presidential primary, but probably not until this fall.

LaMontagne, a former Republican Senate candidate last year, said he doesn't have any favorites from the GOP field, who he said have a "pretty unified view of the key issues" in the race.

"My intention is to get involved in this primary," he said Friday in a conference call. "To the extent I can help weigh in on the election process in New Hampshire ... I want to be part of that process."

LaMontagne's hosted a series of gatherings at his house for presidential candidates to meet with Granite State voters and introduce themselves. He said he hopes to arrange more meetings with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), among others, throughout the summer.

He suggested that he would look at endorsing sometime this fall — his backing could propel a candidate in New Hampshire.

LaMontagne said he hadn't received any feelers yet from the most recent potential candidate to garner buzz, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R). LaMontagne said that neither Perry nor his representatives had reached out yet to gauge interest in his campaign, but the New Hampshire activist said he'd welcome Perry into the race.

"I would say this: If he's serious about it, he's got to do it soon, really soon," he said. "It's still a wide open race, which means there's opportunity, but the door is closing."