Mitt Romney is picking up key endorsements from Congressional Republicans in his bid for the GOP presidential nomination.

Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell publicly endorsed the former Massachusetts governor.

McConnell said it's now clear Romney will be the party's nominee and that it will be a tight race to beat the president.

He cited a Gallup tracking poll on Tuesday showing Romney with a two-point lead.

"I think it's going to be a very, very competitive election," McConnell said. "We're all behind him and looking forward to the fall campaign, which is actually already under way."

Romney also picked up an unexpected endorsement from the Southern Baptist pastor who sparked a media storm by calling Mormonism a cult.

Rev. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas, backed Texas Gov. Rick Perry before he dropped out earlier this year.

At the Values Voters Summit in Washington, D.C., last October, he introduced Perry as a "genuine follower of Jesus Christ."

Later he criticized Romney's faith, telling reporters, "It's not politically correct to say but it's true, Mormonism is a cult."

Now, Jeffress is endorsing Romney, saying voters must choose between, "a Christian like Barack Obama, who embraces non-biblical principles, and a Mormon like Mitt Romney who embraces biblical principles like the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage."