Look for Rep. Tom McClintock, a conservative Republican stalwart from Elk Grove, to endorse Richard Pombo in the race to replace retiring Rep. George Radanovich in the 19th Congressional District.

McClintock is expected to make the rounds Tuesday for Pombo, speaking to radio stations and issuing a news release.

There's been a lot of debate over the importance of endorsements, with many feeling that the only ones that matter are Radanovich's and Rep. Devin Nunes of Visalia -- a Republican whose district covers the eastern third of Fresno County.

Nunes is backing Pombo, who served seven terms in the 11th Congressional District before being defeated in 2006. Radanovich is backing state Sen. Jeff Denham of Atwater as his replacement.

But Pombo supporters say McClintock has the conservative credentials that matter to Republican voters in a primary, and that he is especially popular in the northern parts of the district, which stretches from Fresno County north through Madera, Mariposa and Tuolumne counties to the eastern parts of Stanislaus County.

Thus, his endorsement matters, too, they say.

McClintock also might be able to offer up some advice on running outside a congressional district. In 2008, he won a seat in Congress that was 400 miles from his state Senate seat in Thousand Oaks.

Both Pombo and Denham live outside Radanovich's 19th Congressional District, as does Fresno City Council President Larry Westerlund. The only Republican hopeful who lives in the district is former Fresno Mayor Jim Patterson.