Associated Press
Saturday, June 17, 2000
BUCHANAN, HAGELIN BACKERS CLASH
By PAUL NOWELL, Associated Press Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Patrick Buchanan's supporters clashed briefly with those of rival John Hagelin as the two Reform Party presidential hopefuls campaigned for votes at the party's North Carolina convention Saturday.
"Go Pat, Go!" many in the crowd of about 200 people screamed as they rose to their feet when Buchanan entered the hotel ballroom. A few minutes earlier, Hagelin's supporters screamed nearly as loudly and held signs which read: "Hagelin: A Reason to Vote."
But when the two men appeared to be ready to cross paths in the hallway, each went their own way without a verbal exchange.
Still, the tension between the two rivals and their supporters was obvious as both men made impassioned speeches to try to woo North Carolina's 15 delegates. No vote was taken at the convention....
Hagelin portrayed himself as a more mainstream and electable candidate.
Dror Bar-Sadeh, the state party chairman, said North Carolina's 15 delegates will be committed to vote for the winner of the Reform Party's national primary, to be held between July 4 and the August convention in Long Beach, Calif.
| 
