Associated Press
September 24, 2000

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N.Y. REFORM WING BACKS HAGELIN

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The New York wing of the Reform Party on Sunday turned its back on Pat Buchanan by giving its presidential ballot line to rival John Hagelin and then voting to sever ties with the national organization.

After handing Hagelin their presidential ballot line for November, the leaders of New York's Independence Party voted overwhelmingly to disaffiliate from the national Reform Party.

"It sends the right message,'' said Jeff Graham, the state party's U.S. Senate candidate, after the disaffiliation vote. "We should be on record as being against what Buchanan stands for.''

Independence Party leaders also rejected an effort by Ralph Nader to secure the ballot line. Nader is already on the state's November ballot as the candidate of the Green Party.

Buchanan is on the ballot, too, having qualified an independent "Buchanan-Reform'' line....

In the end, Hagelin topped Nader by a better than 10-1 margin in the weighted voting.

"We cannot wait to begin campaigning on behalf of the Independence Party,'' Hagelin told the convention after his victory. "We will make you proud.''

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