Rudy is picking up the endorsement of former Mass. Treasurer Joe Malone this morning. The Boston Globe points out that several of Malone’s former staffers are on Romney’s team. This endorsement follows a number of other Mass. bigwigs who have signed on with Rudy including of course former Governor Paul Cellucci and Sen. Minority Leader Richard Tisei and three other GOP Senators. A Giuliani aide was only happy to point out that there is a “small universe of Republicans in Massachusetts who would normally suppport the hometown guy but in this case they have said ‘we’re Rudy people.'” The aide also emphasized that in 1998 Cellucci and Malone had a hard fought primary yet both now support Rudy, just as Bill Simon and Richard Riordan who oppposed one another in the California Governor’s race both have now endorsed Rudy. Clearly the Rudy people are hoping that this makes an impression on NH voters as he heads there for two town halls later today. Rudy folks would be delighted if Malone would talk about the large Massachusetts budget shortfall which they would like to attribute to the higher than expected MittCare costs. (The Boston Herald last Friday noted that “with health care costs – and the state’s new health reform law – continuing to claim a huge percentage of the budget, the room for discretionary spending cuts may not be enough to close the anticipated gap next year.”) So don’t you believe it when someone says the Rudy people aren’t playing for keeps in the early states.