Dollars and endorsements shifting toward Romney

March 21, 2012 at 1:36p.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fresh off a decisive victory in Illinois, Mitt Romney today won critical establishment support from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as he looks to unite the Republican Party behind his candidacy. Romney said he’s “almost there” after pursuing the GOP nomination for six years, and there are fresh signs that 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. Today, a day after Romney won Illinois by 12 points, Bush signaled that was no longer the case.