Speaker John Boehner broke his silence on the GOP presidential nomination today and endorsed presumptive nominee Mitt Romney.

At a press conference, the Ohio Republican said, “I’ve not taken a position on his presidential campaign because, as chairman of the convention, I wanted to make sure that all candidates had a fair process and fair opportunity.”

But now with Romney’s ascent to the GOP nod all but certain, Boehner offered his full backing of the former Massachusetts governor.

“I think Mitt Romney has a set of economic policies that can put Americans back to work and frankly contrast sharply with the failed economic policies of President [Barack] Obama,” Boehner said. “And I will be proud to support Mitt Romney and do everything I can to help him.”

Boehner had declined to back anyone in the GOP field, reiterating to reporters that he remains focused on his work in the House and promising that he would back whomever primary voters selected to run against Obama. Other GOP House leaders, notably Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.) and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), as well as Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (Wis.), endorsed Romney earlier in the cycle.