Former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) made his support for Rep. Todd Tiahrt’s Senate bid official on Monday, endorsing the Congressman over fellow Rep. Jerry Moran in the GOP primary.

In a statement, Hastert called Tiahrt “a man of his word.—

“Todd does not run and hide when faced with difficult decisions,— Hastert said. “When the pressure is on, he faces the challenge and does the right thing with his constituents’ best interests in mind.—

In his book, “Speaker,— Hastert anonymously criticized Moran for switching his vote on the Medicare prescription drug bill in 2003, according to the Associated Press. Hastert refers to one Member from a prairie state who “voted no, then ran and hid— while Republicans were furiously whipping votes for the bill that barely passed the House.

At the time, Moran told the AP that he did not think Hastert was referring to him and said he was always clear about the way he was going to vote on the bill.

Hastert made his support for Tiahrt clear last month when he headlined a Chicago fundraiser for the Wichita-area appropriator. The winner of the GOP primary, either Moran or Tiahrt, will be heavily favored to win the Senate seat next year.