Boehner endorses Mitt Romney for president House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has endorsed the former Massachusetts governor for president. (Mark Wilson - GETTY IMAGES) Calling Mitt Romney "our nominee," House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) pledged his full support to the former Massachusetts governor's presidential campaign, saying Romney's campaign would "contrast sharply" with President Obama's in the November election. As the head of the Republican National Convention, Boehner had Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan during the Wisconsin Republican primary this month. Ryan endorsed Romney, who won the primary. (Scott Olson - GETTY IMAGES) resisted backing any of the GOP primary candidates, growing even more reluctant to address the issue in late January and February when theirwas a stronger chance that neither Romney nor any other candidate would clear the minimum hurdle to secure the nomination. "Mitt Romney is going to be our nominee," Boehner told reporters Tuesday morning, after the Republican Conference's first meeting since a two-week spring break. Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who also remained neutral during the primary and has not formally endorsed Romney so far, expect to now work hand-in-hand with the Romney Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. (Win McNamee - GETTY IMAGES) operation to try to drive the Republican message in the coming months. Romney expects to run his campaign as an outsider coming to fix Washington -- seemingly at odds with the combined 50 years of congressional experience between the speaker and minority leader. But the the top GOP lawmakers view the former governor as the best candidate against Obama, according to aides in the House and Senate. Even before Romney's toughest GOP rival, Rick Santorum, withdrew from the race last week, some congressional leaders had already begun consulting the Romney camp in Boston. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who would later endorse Romney before his home state held its Republican primary, had several conversations with Romney before Ryan unveiled his austerity budget last month. The blueprint includes tax cuts, deep spending cuts for agencies and entitlement programs and Medicare reforms - all of which have drawn severe criticism from Democrats and others.