Update: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has met with former rival Rick Santorum.
Friday's meeting in Pittsburgh came nearly a month after the former Pa. senator left the race, clearing the way for Romney to become the nominee. Santorum represented Pittsburgh when he was in the House.
Details on what they discussed were not immediately available.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is working to shore up support with Republican conservatives, many of whom backed Santorum. Many socially conservative voters were uncomfortable with Romney's changed position on issues, including abortion.
Santorum's presidential run helped him build new clout as a conservative leader and could offer him another opportunity to run for president.
A face-to-face meeting is reported to be on the schedule for former GOP presidential rivals Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum on Friday.
Politics
The nature of the meeting was reported in the National Review as being “more than moving toward an endorsement,” in an interview with John Brabender, strategist for Rick Santorum’s campaign.
It would be the first known meeting between the two Republicans since Santorum suspended his presidential campaign last month. Despite making that decision before the Pa. primary, Santorum still managed to finish in second place, with 148,454 votes in the April 24 election. Romney finished first with 467,340 votes.
According to Brabender, Santorum’s “top priority is beating President Obama in the fall,” so their meeting may include how the two men might work together in the fall general election campaign.
Brabender also indicated in the report that the former Pa. senator won’t be presenting a long list of demands to the former Massachusetts governor and presumptive GOP presidential nominee.
Romney also has a noon-time public appearance on Friday at the Sauereisen company in Pittsburgh, which manufactures construction materials.
On Thursday, Minn. Rep. and former Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann endorsed Romney.
"This November, Americans will be at the polls with a serious choice -- they can vote for more of Barack Obama's transformation of America, with more joblessness, higher energy prices, fewer opportunities for our children, more government controls, bailouts, and failed economic policies, or they can vote for a new vision of prosperity and liberty,” said Bachmann.
Bachmann left the race in January after the Iowa GOP caucuses. On Wednesday former House Speaker Newt Gringrich suspended his campaign, leaving Texas Rep. Ron Paul as Romney's only challenger for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
