Fresh from a win in the Iowa caucuses, Mitt Romney gets an endorsement from fellow Republican John McCain -- the Arizona Senator who lost to Barack Obama in the 2008 battle for the White House.
SOUNDBITE (English) ARIZONA SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN SAYING:
"I am really here for one reason and one reason only and that is to make sure that we make Mitt Romney the next President of the United States of America."
McCain offered his public backing during a town hall meeting with Romney in New Hampshire, one day after the former Massachusetts governor eked out a razor thin, eight-vote victory in Iowa.
He is a strong favorite to win in New Hampshire on January 10th, a move he hopes will keep him the frontrunner in what has been rollercoaster race for Republican candidates.
SOUNDBITE (English) REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MITT ROMNEY SAYING:
"The question that America is going to face in this election is whether we are going to remain a nation that our founders would recognize, a nation that was founded on the principles of opportunity and freedom."
Romney lost the battle for the nomination to McCain in 2008. Now McCain says he'll help target the president on issues of unemployment and national security.
SOUNDBITE (English) ARIZONA SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN SAYING:
"Our message to President Barack Obama is you can run but you can't hide from your record."
Appearing in an anticipated battleground for the general election - Ohio - Obama pledges to keep working on the economy.
SOUNDBITE (English) UNITED STATES PRESIDENT, BARACK OBAMA, SAYING:
"I promise to do everything I can every day, every minute, every second, to make sure this is a country where hard work and responsibility mean something and everybody can get ahead. Not just those at the very top, not just those who know how to work the system, but everybody. That's what America has always been about. "
Obama's chances of winning over a future Republican nominee are expected to hinge on the state of the U.S. economy.
Katharine Jackson, Reuters.