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    Lindsey Graham Declares Romney The Nominee, Still Doesn't Endorse

    South Carolina senator comes off the sidelines — sort of.

    South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has remained on the sidelines for much of the primary season, declared that the GOP primary is over, but stopped short of offering his backing to Mitt Romney.

    "I think that the primary is over, Romney will be our nominee," Graham said on CNN's "State of the Union". "Fiscal and social conservatives will unite and form a bond with libertarians and independents and we'll win the White House if we can run a good fall campaign."

    Graham, who was a lead surrogate for Sen. John McCain in 2008, is the latest in a string of high-profile conservatives, like Sen. Jim DeMint, to declare Romney the winner of the primary, even if they have yet to formally endorsed him.

    "The elephant hasn't sung yet, but she's warming up," Graham said, stopping short of an endorsement: "I haven't endorsed anybody, but I'm very comfortable with him."

    "He'll get to 1,144," Graham added. "The last thing I want is a brokered convention."