A topsy-turvy GOP primary came to a close on Tuesday, with former governor Tommy Thompson clinching what once seemed like an unlikely comeback bid more than a decade after he left office. Thompson took 34 percent in the four-way race, with wealthy hedge fund manager Eric Hovde at 31 percent, former Rep. Mark Neumann at 23 percent and state Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald with 12 percent.
In the Wisconsin Senate race, it’s officially a Tommy vs. Tammy showdown.
A topsy-turvy GOP primary came to a close on Tuesday, with former governor Tommy Thompson clinching what once seemed like an unlikely comeback bid more than a decade after he left office. Thompson took 34 percent in the four-way race, with wealthy hedge fund manager Eric Hovde at 31 percent, former Rep. Mark Neumann at 23 percent and state Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald with 12 percent.
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Primary voters went to the polls in four states on Tuesday, solidifying general election contests and selecting new members in safe seats.
At least one member of Congress was going down in Florida’s primaries on Tuesday -- but in a surprise twist, it ended up likely being two. Two more House incumbents lost on Tuesday, but it wasn’t a surprise since they faced fellow Members in primaries in Missouri and Michigan, and one of them had to lose.
In Michigan, Rep. Gary Peters prevailed over freshman Rep. Hansen Clarke in the Democratic primary in the 14th District, and is virtually guaranteed election this November in the safe Democratic seat in Detroit. Claire McCaskill (D) remains the Senate’s most endangered incumbent, but the Missouri Democrat’s prospects appear to have improved slightly on Tuesday after learning she’ll face Rep. Todd Akin (R) in the fall.
Akin’s come-from-behind win seemed unlikely only months ago, though Republicans never had a particularly strong field that remained highly fluid until the end. Wealthy businessman John Brunner was initially seen as the strongest candidate, and spent $8 million of his own money to narrowly lead the polls for much of the race. Former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman had hoped a last-minute appearance by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin could help her with the conservative base. It wasn’t rocky in Rocky Top for incumbents on Thursday evening, as three members easily brushed aside challenges in Tennessee’s primaries.
Freshman Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R), who won an open seat primary in 2010 by just 1,415 votes, had seen his grasp on his Chattanooga-based 3rd District put in danger thanks to his narrow win last cycle, coupled with over a quarter of new territory. Plus, he faced two impressive challengers that started off with more name ID than he had -- well-known dairy magnate Scottie Mayfield and 25 year-old Weston Wamp, the son of former Rep. Zach Wamp, who Fleischmann succeeded. The Peach State provided only minimal clarity on Tuesday, with no candidate reaching the 50 percent threshold to win outright in the two most closely-watched House races.
In the 12th District contest, state Rep. Lee Anderson (34 percent) and wealthy construction company owner Rick Allen (26 percent) advanced to the August 21 runoff to determine who faces endangered Rep. John Barrow (D), who saw his district stripped of its Savannah stronghold in redistricting, picking up an 11-point GOP tilt in the process, one of the most striking shifts in the country. Former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz won an upset victory over Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the Texas GOP Senate runoff Tuesday, signaling a major shift not only in the Lone Star State but for the makeup of the incoming Senate as well.
Though he began as a near-political unknown, Cruz harnessed tea party and conservative support to make it into the runoff with Dewhurst, and his supporters proved the more passionate and committed to turnout in the unprecedented, late July runoff to propel him over the top. When a bipartisan commission redrew Washington state’s congressional lines late last year, commissioner and former Sen. Slade Gorton (R) boasted that the new 1st District may be the most evenly divided in the country.
While Democrats appear to have a slight edge in the race to succeed former Rep. Jay Inslee (D), who has already stepped down to campaign for governor, the outcome of the Democratic primary could determine how competitive this swing district will end up being in November. National Republicans were initially skeptical of their prospects – since John McCain only won about 42 percent here in 2008, and Republican Dino Rossi narrowly topped 50 percent in both his failed 2010 Senate race and 2008 gubernatorial bid. Republicans got their top picks in two North Carolina congressional runoffs Tuesday, furthering the likelihood they will flip several seats in the Tar Heel State this fall.
In the 8th District runoff, former Capitol Hill aide Richard Hudson easily defeated former Iredell County Commissioner Scott Keadle, 64 percent to 36 percent, and will face Rep. Larry Kissell (D) in November in a district that favors Republicans. For a race that had plenty of twists and turns in its final month, the runoff in South Carolina’s new 7th District was almost anticlimactic. Horry County Council Chairman Tom Rice (R) and former Georgia state Rep. Gloria Tinubu (D) are now set to face off this fall, and Republicans are heavily favored to win the new seat in the Palmetto State.
Rice easily defeated former Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer in the GOP runoff, 56 percent to 44 percent, easing any concerns national Republicans may have had about the district. A polarizing figure in the state with a history of controversial antics and statements, Bauer could have been a problem as the GOP nominee if Democrats had found a top tier opponent. |
Jessica TaylorNon-partisan political analyst Archives
January 2013
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