Louisiana GOP delegates to support McCain

BATON ROUGE, La., Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee may have won the Louisiana primary, but he may end up with few delegates from the state, it was reported.

Instead, John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, may take 43 of the state's 47 GOP national convention delegates, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported Sunday.

Jay Connaughton, a McCain operative, said after the state Republican Party's convention that he has 43 verbal and signed commitments to McCain and expects another one soon.

Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, defeated McCain 43 percent to 42 percent in the Louisiana primary, the newspaper reported.

Because Huckabee fell short of getting a majority of the primary vote, the state's GOP delegates technically go to the national convention uncommitted, under party rules.

Although the delegates are "technically uncommitted," state GOP Chairman Roger Villere said, "all day long, we have been getting more and more people" who are signing affidavits supporting McCain.

"If you sign an affidavit, you have given your word. In politics you live by your word," he said.