Former Rhode Island House Minority Leader Brad Gorham is on hand for his second Republican convention, having traveled to Dallas 24 years ago for Ronald Reagan's nomination to run for a second presidential term.

Gorham is also a longtime supporter of this year's Republican candidate, Arizona Sen. John McCain, but he took a pass on the convention eight years ago in Philadelphia. "I was a delegate for McCain,'' who finished far behind Texas Gov. George W. Bush. "I said, `What's the point of going?' ''

Now that he's on board with a winner, Gorham has joined the chorus of supporters of McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- despite the fact that she stands to the right of Rhode Island's GOP mainstream and despite the sudden controversy over her teenage daughter's pregnancy.

"It shows that she's a human being,'' Gorham said of Palin. "She's a down-to--earth, genuine person. I don't think that this stuff will really hurt her.''