Rep. Steve King announced late this afternoon that he would not endorse a candidate in the Iowa caucuses.

The outspoken Iowa conservative has wavered for months on whether he would back a candidate in the first nominating contest of the 2012 GOP presidential primary. A little more than 24 hours before the Tuesday evening caucuses, King told a local radio host that he would not endorse.

“I just announced on Simon Conway’s program on WHO Radio that I will not endorse a candidate in the Iowa Caucus,” King wrote in a Twitter post.

King, whose endorsement has been much sought-after because of the social conservative and tea party constituency that he represents in heavily Republican northwestern Iowa, now joins Sen. Jim DeMint (S.C.) in declining to back a candidate in the GOP race.

Like King, DeMint’s endorsement was valued because of his credibility in conservative circles. DeMint revealed last month in an interview with the Washington Post that he did not plan to endorse a candidate in the early stages of the nominating contests.