New Hampshire politician Ken Merrifield, who co-chaired Mitt Romney’s 2008 campaign in Merrimack County, is now supporting Romney’s rival in the presidential race, Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Merrifield, the two-term mayor of Franklin, N.H., is well known in New Hampshire and has a history of local political involvement.
In a statement, Merrifield did not say why he chose not to support Romney a second time around. But he said, “Gov. Perry has an unmatched record on job creation, consistently conservative policies, and a proven record of strong leadership.”
Merrifield praised Perry’s proposals to reduce the size of the federal government. “He has the best plan to get America back to work: end the job-killing regulations, repeal Obamacare, balance the budget through fiscal restraint, reform the runaway entitlement system and make the tax code flatter and fairer with an optional 20 percent flat tax for both individuals and corporations,” Merrifield said.
Recently, Romney trumpeted the endorsements of two New Hampshire state representatives who had either endorsed Perry or met with him early on but then joined the Romney camp.
Shira Schoenberg can be reached at sschoenberg@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @shiraschoenberg.