The US Republican party on Wednesday officially nominated Texas Governor George W. Bush as its candidate for the presidency during a roll call vote of state delegations.
Bush, whose nomination was unopposed, passed the total of 1,034 votes he needed from state delegations to claim the nomination as he watched the roll-call on television surrounded by his family and aides in a Philadelphia hotel.
"You never know until they cast the last vote," he joked after the state of Wyoming cast the votes that put him over the top.
"This is the beginning of the general election -- the vote is the formal moment," he said.
Bush has chosen former defense secretary Richard Cheney as his vice presidential running mate.
His opponent in November's election will be current Democratic party Vice President Al Gore, who will be anointed later this month as his party's challenger at its convention in Los Angeles – PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AFP)
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