Sen. Mike Lee added two more Senate candidates to his list of endorsements Thursday in a brief appearance at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference, where he said he needed more help to slow "the perpetual cycle of hole-digging" in Washington.

Sarah Steelman, who is running against Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, and Clark Durant, who will try to defeat Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, were the senator's picks of the day, joining a list of four other Senate challengers who will receive Lee's help through his Constitutional Conservatives Fund.

The only House candidate he has endorsed is Carl Wimmer, who is running in Utah's new 4th District. Lee has vowed to stay neutral in the state's Senate race that pits Sen. Orrin Hatch against GOP challengers Dan Liljenquist and Chris Herrod.

Introduced as "Mr. Constitution," Lee didn't let down his conservative audience. He described the nation's growing debt as a hole that continues to grow deeper and he said Washington is made up of "two separate crews" - those doing the digging and those trying to slow it down.

"Last year, for the first time, the national debt grew larger than our entire economy," Lee said, blaming President Barack Obama's policies. "The president proved that it really is possible to dig a hole all the way the China."

He argued that "constitutional conservatives" like himself were needed to stop the cycle, and said that the people he endorse would also reflect the values of limited government.

-- Laura Schmitz
Twitter: @LauraASchmitz