(Image source: Business Insider)

BY JESSICA SIBERT

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

Herman Cain wanted him. Michele Bachmann wanted him. And so did Mitt Romney. But it was GOP candidate Rick Perry who secured the endorsement of America’s so-called “Toughest Sheriff.” CNN reports.

“Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio is set to endorse the GOP presidential candidate in New Hampshire today. Arpaio is known for his crackdown on illegal immigrants. This could be a boost to Perry’s campaign…and he certainly needs that.”

Perry’s been under fire in recent weeks from conservative critics who say his stance on illegal immigration is too soft.

Here he is defending his support for in-state tuition for the children of undocumented immigrants -- at the Fox News/Google debate in September.

“If you say that we should not educate children who come into our state for no other reason than that they've been brought there through no fault of their own, I don't think you have a heart.”

And while the “heartless” allegation didn’t sit well with many immigration hardliners, a writer for The Atlantic says Arpaio’s endorsement could make a difference.

“Despite a reputation for harsh and constitutionally dubious tactics of detainees, Arpaio’s endorsement confers the recipients with a spine of steel the flashpoint social issue of the 2012 primary contest … and no one in the races needs a spine transplant more desperately than Perry.”

During the official announcement Tuesday, Arpaio noted the Texas governor’s first-hand experience in dealing with immigration issues.

“One reason I like him is he’s been fighting this battle as a governor. He doesn’t just talk about it. He does something about it.”

But a blogger for the Dallas Morning News suggests Perry is trying to take the easy route in winning over the right. He argues, though Perry could have taken the time to explain the nuances of his immigration stance...

“Perry is putting this issue into the black-and-white, sound-bite world… Is it good politics? Yes, if he wants to take back the right. But I can’t see how it wins undecideds. Or how it undoes his image as a tongue governor who is … comfortable with easy solutions.”

Finally -- a writer for Business Insider says Arpaio will certainly help Perry’s campaign—that is, if it hasn’t already fallen through the cracks.

“He is a boisterous stumper with a cult following, and his popularity among the other 2012 candidates will make him hard to attack. In the end, however, even Sheriff Joe probably isn't enough to bring Perry's campaign back from the dead.”

According to the latest Gallup poll -- Perry is 5th behind Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain and Ron Paul.