After traveling six hours back to the East Coast from California, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) made two stops in southwestern Connecticut Sunday to promote the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

The former presidential candidate endorsed Obama at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. Kerry also made another stop in New Haven.

"I believe Barack Obama has the ability to be not a transitional president, but a transformational president," Kerry told potential voters.

Kerry's stop in New Haven came on the same day Obama received the endorsement of the New Haven Register. The newspaper calls Obama the "most inspirational" candidate with the "best chance of winning in November."

The New Haven Register also backed Sen. John McCain's (D-Ariz.) bid for the Republican nomination. McCain, who the newspaper described as the "least calculating" and "most genuine" candidate, spoke at Sacred Heart University Sunday.

AP wires contributed to this article.