Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a freshman conservative stalwart on Capitol Hill, is endorsing a congressional candidate from his home state on Tuesday, The Daily Caller has learned. The lucky recipient is a largely unknown Utah state representative who is running in a district that doesn’t exist yet.
Carl Wimmer, 35, is a former police officer who serves in the Utah legislature. As a politician, he’s known for being aggressively pro-gun rights, pro-life, and pro-spending cuts. Lee’s early endorsement will give Wimmer’s campaign an enormous boost as it gets off the ground.
“In 2012 Utahns will have the chance to elect a true conservative leader to the U.S. House of Representatives — someone who has a proven track record of conservatism, who believes in a constitutionally limited government, and has led the fight right here in Utah,” said Lee in announcing his endorsement. “That person is my friend, Utah Representative Carl Wimmer.”
“It has been a pleasure to watch Carl Wimmer work in the Utah Legislature,” Lee added. “I am now asking for your help in sending him to Congress. I am donating to Carl Wimmer for Congress and I ask you to consider doing so as well. Together we can send Carl to Washington, where he can help me and my fellow conservatives in the fight for our nation’s future.”
Wimmer took his first step toward officially launching a congressional campaign by filing papers with the Federal Elections Commission in July. He wants to become Utah’s fourth representative on Capitol Hill, but the state Legislature still hasn’t finalized his district’s boundaries.
Wimmer is betting that the district will include his home in the southwestern part of Salt Lake county when the final lines are drawn.
Wimmer has also collected endorsements from Concerned Women for America, FRC Action PAC, Citizens United, the Family Research Council, and Gun Owners of America.
Watch: