SENATOR Bob Dole savoured his long awaited triumph yesterday in clinching the Republican presidential nomination, but faces a tough battle to beat President Clinton in the November general election.
A smiling Mr Dole formally claimed the Republican nomination on Tuesday night. Results showed he had easily won primaries in California, Nevada and Washington state.
"I'm so confident I'm going to declare right now, I am the Republican nominee," Mr Dole told cheering supporters before the result was declared. They waved red, white and blue banners at his victory party in Washington as Mr Dole stood in front of a banner reading "Bob Dole - American Hero".
The right wing commentator,
Mr Pat Buchanan, Mr Dole's only leading rival left in the race, conceded on Tuesday night that Mr Dole would be the Republican nominee and offered congratulations.
"We have to concede a certain reality tonight. There's no doubt about it. Senator Dole will go over the top in terms of the delegate count," Mr Buchanan said to the boos of supporters.
But Mr Buchanan gave no indication he would pull out of more than a dozen remaining Republican primaries and caucuses.
Mr Buchanan has previously said he intends to fight right up to the party convention in San Diego, California, in August, when he will press the party to adopt his views against abortion and illegal immigration.
Primary wins in California - which with 165 has the largest delegate haul of any state - and in Nevada and Washington put Mr Dole well above the 996 delegates needed to become the Republican nominee who will do battle with Mr Clinton in November for the right to occupy the White House.
The Senate majority leader claimed the biggest prize of his long political career after twice being defeated in previous bids for the nomination in 1980 and 1988. It was a moment to savour for Mr Dole, a decorated second World War hero who fought back from severe wounds.
Some news organisations calculated Mr Dole had mathematically clinched the nomination after four Midwestern primaries last week, but Mr Dole held back from formally claiming the nomination until Californians had a chance to vote.
California, with 54 electoral college votes, will be a key election battleground in November.
With almost 60 per cent of the votes counted early on Wednesday, Mr Dole had 66 per cent of the primary vote in California to 8 per cent for Mr Buchanan.
Final results showed Mr Dole won 52 per cent of the vote in Nevada to Mr Buchanan's 15. In Washington state, he won 63 per cent to Mr Buchanan's 21.
National opinion polls show Mr Dole lagging behind Mr Clinton by between 10 and 20 per cent.