Pat Buchanan has captured the support of more than a
third of the delegates to the Reform Party presidential convention. This
ensures that no one can take the nomination from him if he wins the party's
presidential primary.
As of May 23, Buchanan had 210 of the 588 possible
convention delegates. Under Reform Party rules, it
takes two-thirds of the delegates to override the
results of the national primary.
Buchanan, who left the Republican Party last year
after trailing in his bid for the GOP nomination, has
been working to gather delegates loyal to him before
opponents can block him. The effort has taken place
largely under the political radar in a methodical,
state-by-state strategy ...
Buchanan's effort has left him as the only one of the party's 11 presidential
candidates who seems likely to qualify for the presidential primary in July and
command a majority of convention delegates.
''We are thrilled with the progress of our loyal, hardworking Buchanan
supporters,'' said Bay Buchanan, her brother's campaign manager...
Buchanan is on pace to win more than 50% of the delegates by mid-June. His
forces then would be able to prevail in disputes on the convention floor....
