...is Morton C. Blackwell. As a Leadership Institute graduate, I'm delighted:

Today, Morton Blackwell, President of the conservative Leadership Institute, announced his support for Governor Mitt Romney and his candidacy for President of the United States. Morton Blackwell is a leader in the conservative movement and the long-standing Republican National Committeeman from Virginia.

"The only way conservatives are going to beat the Democrats this year is if we unite the major elements of our coalition. Governor Romney is the only candidate who can bring conservative change to Washington now and maintain the conservative coalition so many of us helped Ronald Reagan build. I am proud to support Governor Romney," said Morton Blackwell.

Welcoming today's announcement, Governor Romney said, "Across this country, thousands of conservatives have been inspired by Morton Blackwell's leadership. The conservative movement is stronger because of him. It is an honor to have him as part of our team as we work to bring conservative change to Washington and build a stronger America."

Jonathan Martin adds:

Mitt Romney has picked up the support of Morton Blackwell, a veteran conservative warrior who previously backed Fred Thompson. Blackwell is the GOP's national committeeman from Virginia, but he's better known to conservatives as chief of the Leadership Institute, a training center for ambitious young Republicans. With the race increasingly appearing to match Romney versus McCain, more movement conservative figures such as Blackwell will surely side with the candidate opposing who some on the right still view as their intra-party bete noire.