WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says he expects to endorse Mitt Romney.

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Santorum says that he believes Romney is "the right guy" to challenge President Barack Obama. Still, he's stopping short of an official endorsement of his former rival.

But Santorum tells CNN that he will ultimately support the GOP presidential nominee. And he says it's clear that Romney will be that nominee.

Santorum says he plans to meet with some of Romney's staff on Wednesday. And he hopes to meet with Romney personally in the next week or two.

Santorum once accused Romney of being the worst Republican to face Obama. He consistently questioned Romney's conservative credentials.

But he now says the priority is to defeat Obama in November.