PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — All nine delegates the American Samoa Republican Party will send to the GOP national convention all support John McCain, saying the Arizona senator is the party's best choice.

The delegates from the U.S. territory about 2,300 miles south of Hawai'i helped McCain move closer to clinching the GOP nomination for president, giving him a total of 976 delegates. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is far behind with 254 delegates — two less than Mitt Romney, who has quit the race and endorsed McCain.

It will take 1,191 delegates to secure the Republican nomination.

Earlier Saturday, the nine delegates from the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands said they will be voting for McCain. The GOP on Guam is set to make its selection March 8.

Although they are helping to nominate presidential candidates, residents of U.S. Pacific island territories do not vote in the presidential election.

The close to 50 party members who showed up for the convention in American Samoa were surprises with a prerecorded audio message sent via the Internet from McCain.

"I can't tell you how excited I am to see the Republican Party of American Samoa take a major role in the presidential election," McCain said.

"I know the island and its people, and I believe we can work together to address our economic problems, fix Social Security, enhance education and ensure that our veterans are treated with decency and respect that they deserve," he said.

The convention chose six delegates who will join three superdelegates at the national convention.

"I'm a strong McCain supporter and so is everyone in the party," said Amata Radewagen, a superdelegate and national committeewoman.

Newly elected party chairman and superdelegate Su'a Carl Schuster said McCain has a lot of experience in running the federal government.

"McCain also spent a lot of time in the military and that's what our nation also needs now," Schuster said.

Utu Abe Malae, an elected delegate, said McCain has the political and government background for the presidential office.

"McCain is an excellent man. He has high morals and he is a man of integrity," Malae said. "He is the right person as our next president."