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Washington – Rep. Chris Stewart and House Speaker Greg Hughes are endorsing Sen. Marco Rubio in the presidential race, arguing the Florida Republican is the best candidate to put the country back on track.
Stewart, R-Utah, and Hughes, a Draper Republican, are two of the first high-profile Utahns to weigh in on the crowded presidential field with official endorsements. Sen. Orrin Hatch previously said he's backing ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
Stewart said in a statement that Rubio is a "true conservative" with a "bold plan" for the future.
"I believe our nation is at a tipping point in history," Stewart said. "We have to get this right. No more dithering. No more weakness. Our nation desperately needs Marco's courageous leadership in the 21st century and I intend to do everything I can to help him."
Hughes echoed the sentiment.
"Marco's conservative and inspirational leadership is what our country needs in the 21st century and I am proud to be on his team," Hughes said.
The Rubio campaign also announced that former Utah GOP Chairman Stan Lockhart would join Stewart and Hughes as co-chairs of Rubio's Utah campaign.
"As someone who has worked in technology for the past 25 years, Marco's vision for a new American economy is exactly what our country needs and I am proud to support him," said Lockhart.
Hatch, a one-time presidential candidate himself, said he is backing Bush in August and attended a fundraiser for the candidate that month in Utah.
Rubio is a former Mormon who converted to the faith while living in Nevada in his youth. He later returned to the Catholic Church.