Twenty-three U.S. governors have endorsed a presidential candidate at a time when their support matters most, lending their names, fundraising and organizing machinery to campaigns desperate for an edge in close primaries.

Among Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton leads with nine, including nods from New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio - the swing state that sealed President Bush’s victory in 2004.

A governor’s endorsement can be campaign gold since governors have a built-in bully pulpit they can use to promote a candidate and their own grass-roots organizing and fundraising networks to share.

To the surprise of no one, Hillary Clinton pocketed the endorsements of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and many other governors.

Come the general election, it’s natural for governors to support their party’s nominee, and voters take it for granted.

That makes governors’ backing important now, in the primary and caucus stage of the campaign, and especially this year, with races on both sides still very much up in the air. The Democratic tilt between Obama and Clinton in particular has become neck-in-neck - and is growing more heated.

The endorsement game started early.

One year ago, seven governors announced their support for candidates, including Indiana’s Mitch Daniels for John McCain, Missouri’s Matt Blunt for Mitt Romney and Illinois’ Rod Blagojevich for Barack Obama.

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