One Republican from Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley is backing another.

Rep. Charlie Dent, who is in his third term representing the 15th District in and around Allentown and Bethlehem, is backing the Senate candidacy of his House predecessor Pat Toomey, who also represented the district for three terms (1999-2005).

Endorsements from individual lawmakers rarely influence votes. And it’s not as if Dent was going out on a limb in endorsing Toomey over his much lesser-known primary opponent, Peg Luksik, after Republican Sen. Arlen Specter said last month that he was switching parties.