The campaign said an estimated 800 people attended the rally. The auditorium, which seats about 1,200, appeared to be more than half full.

Although Sasse is president of Midland University in his hometown of Fremont, he also has held several positions on Capitol Hill. They include working under Mike Leavitt, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Leavitt, a former governor of Utah, worked with Romney when he organized the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. The connection was one reason Romney made the trip to Nebraska to support Sasse.

Romney criticized the president, saying he thinks Obama will offer amnesty to illegal immigrants, continue to resist changes to his health care law and fail to make America appear strong in the eyes of the world. He urged the partisan crowd to send Sasse to Congress to fight those policies.

“If you want to see America come back strong,” he said before the rest of his words were drowned out by cheers.

Several dozen supporters of Sasse’s main competitor, Democrat Dave Domina, gathered across the street from the auditorium. They held signs protesting the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, which both Sasse and Romney have supported.