BOSTON, AP

    Alan Keyes expressed his support for pro-life Gov. George W. Bush's choice of a running mate Tuesday -- and said he had dropped his own campaign against Bush for the Republican nomination.

    Keyes won no primaries and only a few convention delegates, but he had remained on the campaign trail spreading his pro-life message and encouraging pro-life people to get involved in the political process.

    Asked Tuesday if he still considered himself a candidate, Keyes said, ``I am not.'' A campaign spokeswoman said Keyes had not yet filed withdrawal papers with the Federal Election Commission.

    Keyes said he supports Bush's choice of former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney as his running mate, adding that Cheney's pro-life views mirrored his own. Keyes said he would join other Republicans to unite behind Bush at the party's convention in Philadelphia next week.

    Keyes, who also ran for president in 1996, apparently won 21 delegates this year though the final count could change by a delegate or two. His best showing came in the Iowa caucuses, where he won 14 percent of the vote.

    A spokeswoman had said he would consider leaving the Republican Party if Bush chose a running mate who favored abortion. With his support of the Bush-Cheney ticket, Keyes said Tuesday, ``It won't come to that.''

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