Romney and Mourdock to 'change Washington'

Evansville, Indiana (CNN) - Mitt Romney will likely win Indiana in November but Saturday he visited the Hoosier state to help the U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Richard Mourdock.

The presumptive presidential nominee also attended a fund-raiser that included former Vice President Dan Quayle and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell from neighboring Kentucky.

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With fewer than 100 days to go until the election, Romney has been campaigning primarily in key battleground states. In Indiana, his party risks losing a safe Republican Senate seat after Richard Lugar, Indiana's longest-serving senator, was defeated in the primary by tea party-backed candidate Mourdock, who will face Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly in November.

Romney cast himself and Mourdock as Washington outsiders when they appeared together at Stepto's Bar-B-Q Shack.

"There's only one place in America that doesn't seem to understand that you can't keep spending massively more than you take in every year and that's Washington, and one reason we're both going there is to change Washington and to make sure that we finally get ourselves on track to a balanced budget," Romney said.

Mourdock shared a story from 2008 when Romney traveled to Evansville after he ended his bid for the White House to campaign on behalf of presidential nominee Sen. John McCain.

"He is back and he's here in part because he is the ultimate team player. Politics is all about being a team. This is not a solo sport," Mourdock said at the barbecue place. About 50 people packed the interior while others lined up outside to meet Romney during his brief visit.

Ahead of their joint appearance, one Democratic group was characterizing Mourdock as "Indiana's extremist tea party" GOP senate nominee.

Mourdock used the show of unity with Romney to point out that his Democratic opponent was the one running away from President Barack Obama.

"I have to share with all of you a thought I had coming in today, how proud I am to stand next to the next president of the United States, Mitt Romney," said Mourdock.

"And it's funny my opponent, Joe Donnelly, doesn't want to be seen with their candidate. Isn't it amazing?"

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