http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/02/states_delegates_move_to_mccai.html
State's delegates move to McCain column
by Ed Anderson, The Times-Picayune
Saturday February 16, 2008, 7:45 PM
BATON ROUGE-- Although Mike Huckabee led Louisiana's Republican presidential preference primary last week, state Republican Party officials Saturday rounded up at least 43 of the state's 47 GOP national convention delegates for rival John McCain. Huckabee may end up with no delegates at all from Louisiana.
Jay Connaughton, an operative for McCain, the Arizona senator who appears to have the party's nomination all but wrapped up, said after the state Republican Party's convention that he has 43 verbal and signed commitments to McCain and expects another one today.
He said another delegate has said she will support McCain at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis Sept. 1-4 but will not sign an affidavit now. Two others said they will go to the convention uncommitted, Connaughton said.
Under party rules, a candidate who got a majority of the popular vote in last week's presidential primary would gain 20 delegates. If no one got a majority, those 20 would go to the convention uncommitted along with the other 27.
Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Baptist preacher who is popular among the evangelical wing of the GOP, defeated McCain 43 percent to 42 percent.
Because Huckabee fell short of 50 percent, Roger Villere of Metairie, chairman of the state party, said all the delegates technically will go to the national convention uncommitted, but "a majority of people have signed affidavits on behalf of McCain," pledging their vote to him on the first convention ballot.
Huckabee campaign officials could not be reached for comment Saturday, but earlier in the week the candidate called the state's system of picking delegates "goofy. .¤.¤. Well, it's Louisiana." Villere said at the time that Huckabee's remark could hurt him at Saturday's meeting.
According to an Associated Press national count of GOP delegates Saturday, McCain has 903 of the 1,191 delegates needed to secure the party's presidential nomination and Huckabee has 245. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has placed his campaign on hold and endorsed McCain, has 253, according to the wire service.
The Louisiana Democratic Party uses a different system: It apportions delegates to its presidential candidates based on the popular vote in the state's seven congressional districts.
In last week's Democratic primary, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama defeated New York Sen. Hillary Clinton 57 percent to 36 percent, giving him 24 of the party's 37 elected delegates and Clinton 13. Another 30 delegates will be chosen in May at a meeting of the Democratic State Central Committee, the party's governing board.
Last week's primary for both parties and a handful of local elections cost the state about $5 million, according to elections officials.
Although the delegates are "technically uncommitted," Villere said, "all day long, we have been getting more and more people" signing affidavits supporting McCain. "If you sign an affidavit, you have given your word. In politics you live by your word."
Despite voter support for Huckabee last week, Villere said, "party activists and party leaders felt like as they looked at the field (of candidates) and what is going on (nationally in both parties), Huckabee does not have the numbers to win. The odds are he (McCain) is our presumptive nominee. It is time to coalesce around one person. and McCain is that person."
That left some delegates at the state convention disgruntled. Vincent Bruno of Metairie accused some delegates of "putting politics over principle" by abandoning Huckabee in favor of McCain.
Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, who preferred actor and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, said that when Thompson dropped out of the race, he shifted to McCain.
"I wish Huckabee was (leading) at this point," said LaBruzzo, who represents a conservative area of East Jefferson. "He is not. My decision is based on beating Obama and Hillary. .¤.¤. It (the GOP nominee) is going to be McCain and we need to get behind him and defeat the greater of two evils, Hillary or Barack Obama."
Michelle Gaudin, a New Orleans lawyer and supporter of Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who scored about 5 percent of the vote in last week's primary, tried to challenge the way Saturday's convention was called, saying it was not well publicized to all Republicans in the state who might have wanted to run for one of the 105 delegate slots at the meeting. Her challenge was defeated.
State Sen. Bob Kostelka, R-Monroe, urged delegates who might have favored other candidates to get on board with McCain. "Can you believe the United States is on the verge of electing Barack Hussein Obama or the wife of Monica's ex-boyfriend?" he said, referring to Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern who had an affair with former President Bill Clinton. "It's enough to make you want to cry."
In a videotaped message, McCain asked the delegates to the state convention to stand with him now even though they may have backed other candidates in the past. "I have a pro-life voting record," he said. "I am a proud conservative, and I will not let you down."
State's delegates move to McCain column
by Ed Anderson, The Times-Picayune
Saturday February 16, 2008, 7:45 PM
BATON ROUGE-- Although Mike Huckabee led Louisiana's Republican presidential preference primary last week, state Republican Party officials Saturday rounded up at least 43 of the state's 47 GOP national convention delegates for rival John McCain. Huckabee may end up with no delegates at all from Louisiana.
Jay Connaughton, an operative for McCain, the Arizona senator who appears to have the party's nomination all but wrapped up, said after the state Republican Party's convention that he has 43 verbal and signed commitments to McCain and expects another one today.
He said another delegate has said she will support McCain at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis Sept. 1-4 but will not sign an affidavit now. Two others said they will go to the convention uncommitted, Connaughton said.
Under party rules, a candidate who got a majority of the popular vote in last week's presidential primary would gain 20 delegates. If no one got a majority, those 20 would go to the convention uncommitted along with the other 27.
Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Baptist preacher who is popular among the evangelical wing of the GOP, defeated McCain 43 percent to 42 percent.
Because Huckabee fell short of 50 percent, Roger Villere of Metairie, chairman of the state party, said all the delegates technically will go to the national convention uncommitted, but "a majority of people have signed affidavits on behalf of McCain," pledging their vote to him on the first convention ballot.
Huckabee campaign officials could not be reached for comment Saturday, but earlier in the week the candidate called the state's system of picking delegates "goofy. .¤.¤. Well, it's Louisiana." Villere said at the time that Huckabee's remark could hurt him at Saturday's meeting.
According to an Associated Press national count of GOP delegates Saturday, McCain has 903 of the 1,191 delegates needed to secure the party's presidential nomination and Huckabee has 245. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has placed his campaign on hold and endorsed McCain, has 253, according to the wire service.
The Louisiana Democratic Party uses a different system: It apportions delegates to its presidential candidates based on the popular vote in the state's seven congressional districts.
In last week's Democratic primary, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama defeated New York Sen. Hillary Clinton 57 percent to 36 percent, giving him 24 of the party's 37 elected delegates and Clinton 13. Another 30 delegates will be chosen in May at a meeting of the Democratic State Central Committee, the party's governing board.
Last week's primary for both parties and a handful of local elections cost the state about $5 million, according to elections officials.
Although the delegates are "technically uncommitted," Villere said, "all day long, we have been getting more and more people" signing affidavits supporting McCain. "If you sign an affidavit, you have given your word. In politics you live by your word."
Despite voter support for Huckabee last week, Villere said, "party activists and party leaders felt like as they looked at the field (of candidates) and what is going on (nationally in both parties), Huckabee does not have the numbers to win. The odds are he (McCain) is our presumptive nominee. It is time to coalesce around one person. and McCain is that person."
That left some delegates at the state convention disgruntled. Vincent Bruno of Metairie accused some delegates of "putting politics over principle" by abandoning Huckabee in favor of McCain.
Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, who preferred actor and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, said that when Thompson dropped out of the race, he shifted to McCain.
"I wish Huckabee was (leading) at this point," said LaBruzzo, who represents a conservative area of East Jefferson. "He is not. My decision is based on beating Obama and Hillary. .¤.¤. It (the GOP nominee) is going to be McCain and we need to get behind him and defeat the greater of two evils, Hillary or Barack Obama."
Michelle Gaudin, a New Orleans lawyer and supporter of Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who scored about 5 percent of the vote in last week's primary, tried to challenge the way Saturday's convention was called, saying it was not well publicized to all Republicans in the state who might have wanted to run for one of the 105 delegate slots at the meeting. Her challenge was defeated.
State Sen. Bob Kostelka, R-Monroe, urged delegates who might have favored other candidates to get on board with McCain. "Can you believe the United States is on the verge of electing Barack Hussein Obama or the wife of Monica's ex-boyfriend?" he said, referring to Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern who had an affair with former President Bill Clinton. "It's enough to make you want to cry."
In a videotaped message, McCain asked the delegates to the state convention to stand with him now even though they may have backed other candidates in the past. "I have a pro-life voting record," he said. "I am a proud conservative, and I will not let you down."
