Gulf Coast Delegations Hunker Down in St. Paul

 

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Fair said he was looking forward to hearing from the full slate of party leaders this week and that he is "disappointed" those plans have changed, particularly in light of McCain's unexpected selection of first-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to the November ticket.

Still, Fair says he was "very encouraged" by the McCain-Palin ticket after hearing campaign surrogates speak to the Alaska governor's strengths this weekend.

One of those surrogates, former U.S. ambasaddor John Bolton, was the keynote speaker at the Mississippi delegation's Monday breakfast, offering "thoughts and prayers" to the Gulf Coast region, and encouraging attendees to "involve ourselves in the relief efforts."

The majority of his remarks, however, focused on Palin, who he descibed as "one smart lady with a great grasp of the issues." Bolton said he was "proud of McCain for making the decision" to select Palin.

The morning breakfast event took place before news broke that Palin's 17-year-old unmarried daughter is pregnant.

ABC News' Rachel Humphries and Steven Portnoy contributed to this report.