NATION-WORLD

Romney accepts McCain's endorsement in GOP race

Kasie Hunt

FILE - Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, answers questions on stage as he is joined by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney during a town hall meeting, Friday, June 4, 2010, in Mesa, Ariz. A Republican official says that 2008 GOP nominee John McCain is endorsing Mitt Romney for the party's 2012 nomination. The official says McCain's endorsement is scheduled to be announced Wednesday Jan. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Mitt Romney is accepting an endorsement from Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee.

Romney flew to New Hampshire Wednesday after his narrow Iowa caucus win to begin campaigning for next week’s primary in the New England state.

He was joined on stage by McCain. Romney said McCain, a Vietnam veteran, is one of America’s heroes and a great friend.

Romney was governor of neighboring Massachusetts and holds a strong lead in polls in New Hampshire. McCain remains popular in the state, having won the primary in 2000 and again in 2008.