SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann extended sympathies to the family of ex-Sen. George McGovern via the social media networking site Twitter.

The 90-year-old McGovern died early Sunday after spending nearly a week in hospice care.

At about 10 a.m. Sunday, Romney tweeted from his official account: "Ann and I extend our condolences to the family of George McGovern, the unwavering standard bearer of his party and a hero of World War II."

McGovern had waged a failed-but-lively campaign to deny Richard Nixon a second term as president in 1972. He lost in a landslide.