Christine O'Donnell Endorses Mitt Romney For President in 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican political figure and tea-party favorite Christine O'Donnell says she's backing Mitt Romney's presidential bid.

Former Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell took to CNN Wednesday morning to explain her recent decision to endorse Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney has picked up an unexpected endorsement: that of Tea Party darling Christine O'Donnell, who upset "establishment Republican" Mike Castle in a 2010 congressional primary in Delaware before losing to Democrat Chris Coons in the general election.

O'Donnell added on Wednesday that she admires Romney's consistency.  "That's one of the things that I like about him -- because he's been consistent since he changed his mind," she told CNN. O’Donnell made clear that the Romney campaign did not “come to her,” and that she went to the campaign. She said she would be willing to go out and campaign for Romney.

Christine O'Donnell Endorses Mitt Romney For President in 2012 

“Christine has been a leader in the conservative movement for many years,”  Romney said in a statement. “Christine recognizes that excessive government threatens us now and threatens future generations, and I am pleased to have her on my team.”

The Delaware Republican also got in a jab at current GOP primary frontrunner Newt Gingrich, advising Tea Party members to be wary of someone she painted as the ideal establishment candidate. Jenny Beth Martin, a co-founder of Tea Party Patriots, downplayed the endorsement. "It doesn't seem like something that Tea Party people are that concerned about," said Martin.

O'Donnell may be best known nationally for a campaign commercial in which she declared "I'm not a witch," a response to a statement she'd made years earlier in which she said she'd dabbled in witchcraft. It is the latest in a string of prominent endorsements for Romney. His supporters include New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Minnesota Gov.