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Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney announced Tuesday that conservative activist Christine O'Donnell has supported his bid for the White House.

"Christine has been a leader in the conservative movement for many years," former Massachusetts Gov. Romney said in a statement carried by Fox News. "Christine recognizes that excessive government threatens us now and threatens future generations, and I am pleased to have her on my team."

O'Donnell -- a former Delaware candidate for the U.S. Senate -- said, "For me, this endorsement comes down to trust. I am endorsing Governor Romney because I trust him to do the right thing. He has the strength of conviction to do the right thing regardless of opposition.

"America needs a president who is not a Washington Insider. America needs a president who hasn't been playing the game for the last three decades. America needs a president who can turn our economy around, put Americans back to work, and will lead with stability, integrity and the values that we hold dear."

O'Donnell has courted controversy during her time in the public eye, once releasing a TV advertisement proclaiming, "I am not a witch," in order to address comments she made on a late-night TV show in 1999 that she had dabbled in witchcraft as a teenager.

In August, she stormed out of an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan after he repeatedly asked her about her stance on gay marriage.