The McCain camp says their candidate will get a "major endorsement" today in Greenville, South Carolina. MSNBC is reporting that Senator Tom Coburn will endorse John McCain.
Don't get me wrong. It's a solid endorsement, but I don't know if you would consider it a "major endorsement." To be a major endorsement, a person really has to have national name recognition. If you line ten people up, nine out of ten probably couldn't tell you who Coburn is.
Having said that, Coburn is a nice feather in the cap. He's known for shaking up Washington because of his fights against excess federal spending in Washington. In that regard, it's a great fit for the maverick McCain and really a no-brainer. Also, Coburn is a big time social conservative so the fact that a southern senator would come out and support McCain is a big bonus.
We are starting to see a pattern develop here in the Republican nomination fight. McCain is trotting out his Senate buddies to stump for him on the trail. It has the feel of a Washington establishment candidate who is banking on his experience to win the nomination.
Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee go around talking about change and aren't as deeply entrenched with the Washington crowd.
It'll be interesting to see which philosophy and strategy win out.