Christine O'Donnell endorses Romney

Former tea party candidate and U.S. Senate hopeful Christine O'Donnell has cast an, er, endorsement Mitt Romney's way.

O'Donnell, who had indicated she was leaning Romney's way over the past few months, has cred and a voter list of tea partiers - but she also lost her general election in Delaware by a big margin.

Mostly, O'Donnell is best remembered for the "I'm not a witch, I'm you" ad that she produced, through admaker Fred Davis (now with the Jon Huntsman super PAC), which was met with much derision.

UPDATE: Here's the release the Romney campaign just put out on O'Donnell's announcement.

“Christine has been a leader in the conservative movement for many years,” Mitt Romney said. “Christine recognizes that excessive government threatens us now and threatens future generations, and I am pleased to have her on my team.”

Announcing her support, Christine O’Donnell said, “For me, this endorsement comes down to trust. I am endorsing Gov. Romney because I trust him to do the right thing. He has the strength of conviction to do the right thing regardless of opposition. America needs a president who is not a Washington Insider. America needs a president who hasn't been playing the game for the last three decades. America needs a president who can turn our economy around, put Americans back to work, and will lead with stability, integrity and the values that we hold dear. I am confident Mitt Romney will be that president.”

The endorsement press release simply describes her as a "a leader in the conservative movement for many years."

O'Donnell made the "witch" ad after old video of her emerged from an appearance on the Bill Maher show in which she talked about practicing witchcraft. To many establishment GOPers, O'Donnell typified what they saw as some of the problems with the hard-right turn of the party in the 2010 elections. She's also become a source of some derision, and I have a hard time seeing Romney, say, stumping actively with her.

It seems safe to say this release is a tangible sign of concern within the Romney camp about how to handle the Newt Gingrich surge.

Maggie Haberman is senior political reporter for Politico.