SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Gov. Jan Brewer, a chief executive with widespread appeal among Republicans in the Grand Canyon State, endorsed Mitt Romney on Sunday, giving the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination another major backer before Tuesday’s Arizona primary.

“I have decided that I’m going to publicly endorse Mitt Romney,” Brewer said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” ending weeks of speculation about whom she would support. “I think he’s the man who can carry the day.”