Rick Perry, GOP lamakers Daudt and Brown back Pete Hegseth in Senate bid

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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hegseth announced the backing of Texas Gov. Rick Perry as he looks to win the GOP’s nomination at its state convention this weekend.

In a short web video posted Monday morning, Perry announced his backing of Hegseth, a veteran, saying “he’s exactly the kind of patriot we need.”

“He’s not afraid of a fight, regardless of whether it’s popular or expedient,” Perry says. “I watched Pete fight for America’s veterans, taking on left-wing special interest groups like the ACLU, Code Pink and MoveOn.org.”

“He’s a dedicated combat veteran, but that’s not all,” Parry adds. “He believes in small government, lower taxes, the free enterprise system and the United State Constitution.”

The Perry nod is the most high-profile endorsement of a few the Hegseth camp rolled out Monday. It also announced the backing of U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, a Florida Republican. Former state GOP Chair Ron Eibensteiner and former 1st Congressional District Chair Dave Thul also came out in support of Hegseth.

Later Monday morning, the Hegseth campaign also announced the support state lawmakers Rep. Kurt Daudt and Sen. Dave Brown. Those two endorsements are notable given that Hegseth’s main opponent for the GOP nomination, state Rep. Kurt Bills, made a strong showing of his support support at the Capitol when he rolled out 34 endorsees, a total to which he’s added since then.

The Perry nod could help Hegseth as he looks to shore up his conservative support ahead of this week’s endorsement. Bills has seen support from libertarian darling Ron Paul as his presidential campaign continues to amass delegates in states around the country, Minnesota included.

Paul has publicly endorsed and raised money for Bills, and the Texas congressman will speak at the state GOP convention on Friday.