Delegate switch boosts Reagan

Press, 7 August 1976, Page 6

Delegate switch boosts Reagan

NZPA

New York

Ronald Reagan has picked up six more delegates and says he believes the tide is turning his way in his uphill fight against President Ford for the Republican nomination for the United States Presidency.

His gains yesterday came less than a week and a half before the Republican national convention in Kansas City where delegates will nominate their party’s candidate to run against the Democratic nominee, Jimmy Carter in the election on November 2.

Four previously uncommitted New Jersey delegates, one uncommitted New York delegate that had been counted for Mr Ford all announced they would support Mr Reagan. That put the Associated Press tally of known delegate positions at 1100 for Mr Ford and 1035 for Mr Reagan, with 1130 votes

needed to nominate. The four New Jersey delegates said they were influenced favourably by Mr Reagan's choice of Senator Richarf Schweiker, of Pennsylvania, to run for VicePresident on his ticket.

Mr Reagan is a conservative, Senator Schweiker a liberal. Liberalism is strong in New Jersey and neighbouring New York. Mr Reagan campaigned with Senator Schweiker in those two states yesterday and claimed the alliance with Senator Schweiker had helped h>s campaign. “I am very optimistic. I don’t believe we lost support any place, but we are getting

support we didn’t have in the north-east,” he said. But there were signs of a loss of support in Mississippi, where Mr Reagan and Senator Schweiker met on Wednesday with that state's delegation. Mississippi delegates and alternates will decide by majority vote how all Mississippi’s 30 votes at the convention will be cast — and those votes may be crucial. President Ford let it be' known yesterday that, unlike Mr Reagan, he will make his choice for Vice-President known only after the convention selects the candidate for President.