Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) on Wednesday became the 24th House Member — and the first from the Lone Star State — to endorse the presidential candidacy of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R).“He shares the values of the people of my district — a belief in strong families, a strong military and lower taxes,” Conaway said.

[IMGCAP(1)]Election Reform, Early and Often. Two leading contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination were players Wednesday in the push for cleaner, better-run elections. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) introduced the Count Every Vote Act, a bill that requires a paper trail for electronic voting machines, restores the rights of ex-felons to vote and addresses administrative problems that have cropped up at polling places during recent elections.

Meanwhile, Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) testified in the House Judiciary Committee in favor of the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act, which he sponsored in the Senate.

— Josh Kurtz