Raese embraces the Palin stamp of approval

Charleston, West Virginia (CNN) - Sarah Palin endorsed West Virginia's Republican Senate hopeful John Raese on Twitter this week – but she mistakenly identified him as a candidate in Pennsylvania. (The erroneous tweet was quickly replaced.)

Raese, battling Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin in a race most polls suggest is a toss-up, doesn't seem to mind.

"I am just honored that Sarah Palin would endorse me," he told CNN Friday. "I know my wife and 1,000 conservative women across West Virginia support her very much. I am just pleased to get that endorsement.

GOP candidates running in competitive states and districts this cycle, aware of Palin's polarizing brand, have waffled when asked whether they would back the former Alaska governor as the party's presidential nominee.

But Raese – seeking office in a state where President Obama's disapproval rating is a sky-high 63 percent – isn't one of them.

His answer, when asked if he'd support a Palin candidacy: "Absolutely. Absolutely. I think we have many fine candidates, but if she is our nominee, absolutely."

Raese, a Morgantown businessman, was appearing at the State Capitol in Charleston, where he spoke to a group of Tea Party activists and told them that "a great, great turnout" will be the key to victory on Nov. 2.

Later, Raese was slated to attend the West Virginia Republican Party's "Victory Gala" headlined by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Talking to CNN, Raese did not back away from his staunch opposition to the federal minimum wage, arguing that the government regulation of wages or prices impedes private sector growth. He made the case that a better business climate, without the "restrictor plate" of big government interference, would boost incomes across the board.

He was unswayed by the argument that companies might set wages too low without government regulation. An unabashed disciple of the free market, Raese argued that wages should be determined by "laws of supply and demand."

"And we've gotten away from basic Economics 101, haven't we?," he said. "We've really lost the sense of freedom, free enterprise and capitalism, and we know we don't want government restraints on what we do in this country."

The Manchin campaign said Raese's latest comments offer more evidence that the Republican is out of touch with West Virginia voters, pointing to recent questions about Raese's ownership of a home in Florida and his recent call for a laser-based missile defense system.

"I don't know how they do things in Florida, but in West Virginia, people rely on the minimum wage, need public schools, and want to protect Social Security. John Raese is more interested in spending billions to launch lasers into space than he is in protecting the interests of West Virginians," Manchin spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg told CNN.