Palin Endorses Indiana's Mourdock for US Senate

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has endorsed Indiana state Treasurer Richard Mourdock in his bid for the GOP nomination against longtime incumbent Sen. Dick Lugar.

The endorsement is Palin’s first since she announced in October that she was not seeking the GOP presidential nomination.

Palin wrote on her Facebook page: "I join commonsense conservatives in endorsing Richard Mourdock to be the next Senator from Indiana. Conservatives of all stripes are uniting behind Richard Mourdock. It’s not just Indiana that benefits from sending the right Senator to serve for the right reasons; the nation as a whole benefits, and that is one reason why the eyes of so many around the nation are focused on the Indiana race.

"Indiana deserves a conservative in the Senate who will fight for the Hoosier State, uphold our Constitution, and not just go along to get along with the vested interests of the permanent political class in D.C.

"Richard Mourdock is the conservative choice for Indiana. Senator Lugar’s 36 years of service as a Senator are appreciated, but it’s time for the torch to pass to conservative leadership in Washington that promises to rein in government spending now."

Lugar was first elected to the Senate in 1976, but a mid-April poll showed him narrowly trailing Mourdock for the nomination.