Underdog U.S. Senate candidate Dave Weldon (R) announced the endorsement of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson on Tuesday, the latest evangelical leader to back the former congressman’s candidacy.

In a statement released by the Weldon campaign, Dobson called the former congressman “an honorable man,” with “solid conservative values and credentials as a hard-working legislator.”

 “I have known Dr. Weldon for many years and I know him to be a committed family man,” Dobson stated in the release. The conservative leader said that he was endorsing Weldon as an individual and not on behalf of the group’s he is associated with.

While Weldon remains a longshot, he has received the support of many conservative Christian leaders and groups, which have been reluctant to coalesce behind front-runner Connie Mack.

Since announcing his bid in May, Weldon also has nabbed the endorsement of other conservative groups like Central Florida’s Florida Family Policy Council, the Liberty Counsel, Citizens United Political Victory fund and United Christians of Florida’s PAC.

Tags | Citizens United, Connie Mack, Dave Weldon, Florida Family Policy Council, James Dobson, Liberty Counsel