Chafee wins race in Rhode Island; Moderate Republican didn't even vote for Bush in 2004

Moderate Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, who hasbucked President Bush on tax cuts and the war in Iraq, defeated aconservative challenger Tuesday in a contest crucial to the largerfight for control of Congress.

With 72 percent of precincts reporting, Chafee was declared thewinner with 25,728 votes, or 55 percent, to Cranston Mayor SteveLaffey's 20,750 votes, or 45 percent.

The last big day of primaries before the November elections alsobrought intriguing Democratic contests for Senate in Maryland and aHouse seat in Minnesota. In all, nine states and the District ofColumbia voted, with the other states including Arizona, Delaware,New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Wisconsin.

In New York, frontrunning Democrats swept aside primarychallengers - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton trounced an anti-warcandidate in her re-election bid, Attorney General Eliot Spitzercrushed his opposition for the Democratic nod for governor, andAndrew Cuomo easily won the party nomination for attorney general.

In Rhode Island, the importance of holding onto a GOP Senate seatbrought Laura Bush and the GOP establishment to campaign aroundChafee - even though he was the only Republican to vote against theresolution to use force against Iraq and he opposed the president'stax cuts. Chafee did not even vote for Bush in 2004 - instead writingin his father, George H.W. Bush.

With 18 percent of precincts reporting in Maryland for theDemocratic nomination for Senate, 20-year Rep. Ben Cardin was leadingKweisi Mfume, former head of the NAACP, with 44 percent of the voteto Mfume's 35 percent. Democratic Sen. Paul Sarbanes has announcedhis retirement.

The winner will face GOP Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, who - if he won -would be the lone black Republican in the Senate.

In New York, Clinton beat challenger Jonathan Tasini with morethan 80 percent of the vote. She will face former Yonkers Mayor JohnSpencer.

Spitzer defeated Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi with more than80 percent of the vote. He will face GOP candidate John Faso, aformer legislative leader, in the fall.

District of Columbia voters choose City Council member Adrian M.Fenty in the mayoral primary. In heavily Democratic Washington, theprimary is tantamount to the general election.

In Vermont, Rep. Bernie Sanders won the Democratic nomination forSenate. Sanders, who plans to run as an independent, aims to win theseat of retiring Sen. James Jeffords, the Senate's lone independent.Three Republicans sought the GOP nomination, with businessman RichardTarrant leading in early returns.

Copyright 2003 by Telegraph-Herald, All rights Reserved.

Chafee wins race in Rhode Island; Moderate Republican didn't even vote for Bush in 2004

Moderate Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, who hasbucked President Bush on tax cuts and the war in Iraq, defeated aconservative challenger Tuesday in a contest crucial to the largerfight for control of Congress.

With 72 percent of precincts reporting, Chafee was declared thewinner with 25,728 votes, or 55 percent, to Cranston Mayor SteveLaffey's 20,750 votes, or 45 percent.

The last big day of primaries before the November elections alsobrought intriguing Democratic contests for Senate in Maryland and aHouse seat in Minnesota. In all, nine states and the District ofColumbia voted, with the other states including Arizona, Delaware,New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Wisconsin.

In New York, frontrunning Democrats swept aside primarychallengers - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton trounced an anti-warcandidate in her re-election bid, Attorney General Eliot Spitzercrushed his opposition for the Democratic nod for governor, andAndrew Cuomo easily won the party nomination for attorney general.

In Rhode Island, the importance of holding onto a GOP Senate seatbrought Laura Bush and the GOP establishment to campaign aroundChafee - even though he was the only Republican to vote against theresolution to use force against Iraq and he opposed the president'stax cuts. Chafee did not even vote for Bush in 2004 - instead writingin his father, George H.W. Bush.

With 18 percent of precincts reporting in Maryland for theDemocratic nomination for Senate, 20-year Rep. Ben Cardin was leadingKweisi Mfume, former head of the NAACP, with 44 percent of the voteto Mfume's 35 percent. Democratic Sen. Paul Sarbanes has announcedhis retirement.

The winner will face GOP Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, who - if he won -would be the lone black Republican in the Senate.

In New York, Clinton beat challenger Jonathan Tasini with morethan 80 percent of the vote. She will face former Yonkers Mayor JohnSpencer.

Spitzer defeated Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi with more than80 percent of the vote. He will face GOP candidate John Faso, aformer legislative leader, in the fall.

District of Columbia voters choose City Council member Adrian M.Fenty in the mayoral primary. In heavily Democratic Washington, theprimary is tantamount to the general election.

In Vermont, Rep. Bernie Sanders won the Democratic nomination forSenate. Sanders, who plans to run as an independent, aims to win theseat of retiring Sen. James Jeffords, the Senate's lone independent.Three Republicans sought the GOP nomination, with businessman RichardTarrant leading in early returns.

Copyright 2003 by Telegraph-Herald, All rights Reserved.