Bay Buchanan endorses Romney

Mitt Romney landed the endorsement of former U.S. Treasurer and Ronald Reagan adviser Bay Buchanan on Friday.

Buchanan served on Reagan’s campaign staff in 1980 and 1984, and the former president appointed her U.S. Treasurer in 1981.

“If Americans want a real conservative in the White House, they need to look no farther than Mitt Romney,” she said in a statement. “These few years of President Obama’s failed leadership have weakened our country across the board. We need a president who will immediately reverse Obamacare, stop Washington’s out-of-control spending and finally secure our borders. Mitt Romney is the man who will actually get these things done. America simply can’t take another four years of Barack Obama.”

While GOP primary voters have yet to coalesce around a candidate, the Republican establishment has come out strongly in favor of Romney.

Sixty-two members of Congress have publicly backed the former Massachusetts governor, while Newt Gingrich comes in a distant second at 13.

“It’s an honor to have the support of a stalwart conservative like Bay,” Romney said in a statement. “From her time working closely with Ronald Reagan through today, she has been a consistent and clear voice for conservative values like growing the economy, securing our borders, and making sure America is respected in the world. I look forward to working with her to get America back on track.”

The Reagan connection might help shore up Romney’s conservative bona fides.

While Romney leads or is near the top of the GOP field in most polls, Republican primary voters remain unconvinced of his commitment to conservatism.

Rick Santorum, who came in second place by only eight votes in the Iowa caucuses, is the latest candidate to surge as a conservative alternative to Romney.

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