endorsements

The Hampton Union and The Portsmouth Herald have endorsed separate candidates in the Senate district 24 race.

The Hampton Union endorsed political newcomer Christian Callahan (R-Portsmouth), while The Portsmouth Herald endorsed state Sen. Martha Fuller Clark (D-Portsmouth). Seacoast Media Group owns both papers.

Gov. Deval Patrick commended the state Senate Thursday for its vote asking for State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson's resignation.

"On a bi-partisan basis, the Senate today unanimously re-affirmed that elected officials should be held to the highest ethical standards," the Milton Democrat said. "I support and respect their action."

Patrick endorsed Wilkerson in her primary against Sonia Chang-Diaz this year. He switched to supporting Chang-Diaz after she defeated Wilkerson in the primary and Wilkerson launched a write-in campaign for the general election.

Gov. John Lynch's campaign has released a list of Republicans that have endorsed his re-election campaign.

The group, "Republicans for Lynch," is co-chaired by former Republican Gov. Walter Peterson and business owner Bill Steele.

Former Gov. Bill Weld said Monday that the national Republican Party is "playing on a smaller field" and that he may have been more inclined to endorse Republican presidential nominee John McCain had he selected fellow former Bay State Gov. Mitt Romney as his running mate.

Weld, who endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama last week, appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe Monday morning, shortly after Romney also appeared on the show. Weld endorsed Romney during his presidential run this year and was immediately asked if he thought McCain should have tapped Romney as his running mate.

"Well that would have been a running start," Weld said. "I think what Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have in common, and not too many people would see a common thread there, I think they both process a lot of new information and respond to conditions on the ground."

"Of course the thing I loved about Gov. Romney is he knows so much about the economy," he added.

Sonia Chang-Diaz’s campaign website features an endorsement she never received.

In the endorsement box on the right side of Chang-Diaz's website, El Mundo, the Hispanic newspaper, is listed as one of the Jamaica Plain Democrat's backers.

But Alberto Vasallo, El Mundo's editor in chief, told PolitickerMA.com that his paper never endorsed Chang-Diaz.

"I think there was a mix up," Vasallo said. "The newspaper did not, does not and will not be endorsing in this particular race."

 State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson's campaign responded on Wednesday to charges that her campaign website still listed endorsements she has lost since Sonia Chang-Diaz beat her in the Democratic primary, saying the website was only for the primary and pointing to a new general election website.

The old website also no longer works.

On Monday, Hillary Chabot of the Boston Herald noted that Wilkerson's campaign website, www.DianneDelivers2008.com, still listed endorsements from Gov. Deval Patrick, House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and state Senate President Therese Murray even though they are now backing Chang-Diaz.

In a statement made to PolitickerMA.com, Jeff Ross, a spokesman for Wilkerson, said that website was only used for the primary.

"There was an old web site that was the prior web-site. We have a new web site focused on information relevant and necessary leading up to Nov. 4, 2008 in our write in sticker campaign," Ross said.