McCain Gives 6 Delegates to Bush
John McCain is giving former GOP presidential primary rival George W. Bush six of the Michigan delegates he won and has similar deals or is close to agreement in several New England states that the Arizona senator won before suspending his campaign.
The deal reached Thursday in Michigan allows Gov. John Engler to attend the National Republican Convention as a Bush delegate and is the latest move toward GOP reconciliation after the divisive primary contest. At one point, McCain and Engler talked by phone, a McCain aide said.
McCain agreed to give Bush six delegates to add to the six the Texas governor won in the Feb. 22 Michigan primary, leaving the Arizona senator with 46 of the state’s 58. McCain has suspended his campaign, and Bush has won enough delegates to clinch the nomination.
The McCain camp said delegate agreements also had been reached or were close in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont and Massachusetts. A McCain aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity, had no details.
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