MISSOURI SPLITS VOTES

In a rush to unity, a number of Republican state delegations only cast votes for Bob Dole Wednesday night.

That wasn't the case with the Missouri delegation, which cast 24 votes for Dole, 11 for Pat Buchanan and one for Alan Keyes.

Five Keyes supporters switched to Dole Wednesday night, but none of the Buchanan delegates jumped ship.

Donna Lichtenegger, an alternate delegate to the Republican Convention, said the Missouri delegation did the right thing. The Jackson woman is a Dole supporter.

She said delegation chairman Allen Allred, a St. Louis lawyer and Dole's campaign manager in Missouri, promised Buchanan and Keyes backers they would be represented at the convention.

"From what we understand other states didn't do that and that is unfortunate because you cannot bring closure and people together if you break your word," she said.

"I really think that politically that was very harmful," Lichtenegger said.

She said Buchanan people in the Missouri delegation were upset by the decision of some other state delegations not to cast their Buchanan votes.

She said it wouldn't have made any difference in the outcome. Dole still would have captured the nomination handily.

Buchanan only had about 150 delegates pledged to him, she said.

Lichtenegger said the Missouri delegation came together at the caucus Thursday and put their differences behind them.

"We are planning to go out and fight for the Dole-Kemp ticket," she said.