LANSING -- Michigan Republicans sought to unite their organization behind Sen. John McCain on Saturday, elected a slate of delegates to the national convention that will likely be packed with McCain supporters.
But the campaign of Mike Huckabee, who has continued his quest despite having almost no chance at winning the nomination, fought efforts by McCain and Michigan primary winner Mitt Romney to deliver Romney's former delegates to McCain. Huckabee's campaign -- aided by a trip to Lansing by the candidate's wife, Janet -- said they believe they succeeded in electing at least five Huckabee supporters to the state's delegation, adding to the two the former Arkansas governor won by virtue of his performance in the Jan. 15 primary.
But, the McCain campaign said it has 56 of the 60 delegates, which would leave Huckabee with four.
Huckabee's decision to remain in the race, and to contest every delegate in states such as Michigan, appeared aimed less at winning than at slowing McCain's march to the 1,191-delegeate total he needs to clinch the nomination.
With Romney and McCain joining forces, most of the state's GOP machinery was backing efforts to close party ranks behind the Arizona senator.
"We need your help," Holly Hughes, a McCain
supporter and one of the state's representatives on the Republican National
Committee, implored the 3,000 or so activists gathered here. "We need to come
together or we all lose."
But Janet Huckabee passed up a chance to travel to the Cayman Islands, where her husband was delivering a speech Saturday, to campaign here. After addressing each of the 15 congressional-district caucuses that chose delegates on Friday night, she spoke to the full convention on Saturday, telling them to defy the calls of party elders and use their own judgment.
"You have an opportunity to exercise that choice and that will," she said.
The precise breakdown of the 60 delegates Michigan will send to St. Paul, Minn., this summer probably won't be known for a few days. But the McCain and Romney campaigns, and state party officials, were confident that the vast majority of the 45 slots that had been allocated to Romney will be held by McCain supporters. Romney ended his presidential bid earlier this month, which under state party rules mean the 45 delegates he had been awarded will go to the convention formally uncommitted to any candidate.
Gary Glenn, a Midland social activist and volunteer spokesman for Huckabee, said he believes that in one congressional district, all three delegate spots will be held by Huckabee supporters -- though he declined to identify which district.
For the moment, national Republican officials have penalized the state for holding the Jan. 15 contest, earlier than allowed under GOP rules. But state leaders believe the party's nominee will ensure that the full delegation is seated.
The GOP's other order of business on Saturday was to finalize the selection of its national committee members, two elections with little drama but significant history. Detroit minister Keith Butler, a former city councilman and unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate, was selected to replace longtime RNC member Chuck Yob. State party officials said they believe Butler would become the only African-American on the party's national committee when he takes office at the conclusion of the national convention.
"I want to be a representative for all of Michigan, not just rural Michigan, but urban Michigan as well," Butler said.
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