Dollars and endorsements shift toward Romney

Fresh off a decisive victory in Illinois, Mitt Romney won critical establishment support from former Florida Governor Jeb Bush as he looks to unite the Republican Party behind his candidacy.

Romney said he is “almost there” after pursuing the GOP nomination for six years, and there are fresh signs big GOP donors and other party figures will follow Bush’s lead after sitting on the sidelines for much of the primary season.

The son of one president and the brother of another, Bush had stayed out of the race for months. Some party elders publicly had urged him to jump into the race when it looked like Romney was having trouble closing the deal. Yesterday, a day after Romney won Illinois by 12 points, Bush signalled that was no longer the case.