Four States to Watch in Today's Primaries

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Campaign 2010

Voters in twelve states go to the polls today for primaries that will help decide whether Democrats maintain their hold in Congress in the November midterm elections. Here's CBSNews.com's guide to the four most interesting contests:

Nikki Haley speaks during the Gubernatorial Debate in Greenville, S.C., Saturday, May 22, 2010.

(Credit: AP )

1. Nikki Haley's Wild Ride: It's been quite a campaign for Republican Nikki Haley, who is hoping to replace Mark Sanford as South Carolina governor. Thanks in large part to the backing of Sarah Palin, Haley shot to the top of the polls in the crowded GOP field. She was then hit by not one but two allegations of extramarital affairs - both of which she denied. And then, to top it off, she was called "raghead" by a political rival who apparently takes issue with the fact that her parents are Indian immigrants. (If it's any consolation, the rival in question, state Sen. Jake Knotts, also included President Obama in the "raghead" category.)

All this doesn't seem to have much hurt Haley: A weekend automated poll found her to be 20 points ahead of rivals Rep. Gresham Barrett, Attorney General Henry McMaster and Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer. If no candidate gets 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates will enter a runoff - which is bad news for the frontrunner but potentially good news for connoisseurs of South Carolina's political theatre. (Two words: Appalachian Trail.) Incidentally, Haley has vowed to resign if she is elected and proof that she had an affair comes to light.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. during a news conference discussing Wall Street accountability legislation, Wednesday, May 5, 2010, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

(Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta)

2. Harry Reid Cheers on the Tea Party: They make strange bedfellows, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Tea Party movement. But for one day, at least, they're on the same side: Both want to see Sharon Angle win Nevada's GOP primary.

The reason? Reid, whose approval ratings in Nevada are dismal, seems like a great candidate for a high-profile loss. In the general election, he was widely expected to face Sue Lowden, the establishment choice and former state party leader. (He already ran ads against her.) But Lowden has stumbled - she famously suggested bartering health care for chickens - while Angle has shined, winning the backing of the Tea Party Express and the anti-tax Club for Growth.

Angle now looks like the frontrunner over Lowden and businessman Danny Tarkanian. And that's good news for Reid, who hopes she is too extreme to win in a general election, even against an incumbent whose approval ratings are low. His well-funded campaign will have a field day with Angle's past positions, among them potentially privatizing and/or phasing out Social Security, closing the Department of Education and repealing the 16th Amendment, which allows the federal income tax that accounts for about half the government's total revenue.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., prior to a news conference on Wall Street Reform on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 20, 2010.

(Credit: AP )

3. Blanche Lincoln and the Case of the Disappearing Incumbent: This could be the end of the road for Blanche Lincoln, the moderate Democratic senator from Arkansas who garnered the labor movement's wrath for wavering on the health care bill and opposing legislation that would make it easier to form unions.

Lincoln got pushed to a runoff last month thanks to a challenge from Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, who has benefited from an aggressive push by unions to send the message that candidates who oppose their agenda will pay a heavy price. While both Lincoln and Halter face an uphill battle in a general election against likely opponent Rep. John Boozman, labor will consider a Halter victory today a win no matter what happens in November.

Lincoln recently played perhaps her strongest card, getting former President (and fellow Arkansan) Bill Clinton to stump and appear an ad for her. She has cast unions' efforts as meddling by Washington interests who are trying to use her for their own agenda. If she goes down, she'll be the third incumbent, after Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Bennett, to fail to even reach the general election in this campaign cycle.

Carly Fiorina on "Face The Nation"

(Credit: CBS)

4. The Wealthy Republican Women of California: It's easy to get Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman mixed up: Both are Republican former CEOs seeking elected office in the Golden State. And both are expected to win their primaries. Fiorina, who ran Hewlett Packard, is leading relatively moderate Rep. Tom Campbell and Tea Party favorite Chuck DeVore in the battle to take on Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer in November. And Whitman, the former eBay CEO, has weathered attacks from California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner to enter the day as the front-runner to take on expected Democratic gubernatorial nominee Attorney General Jerry Brown.

Both women have spent lavishly to get where they are - Whitman has laid out $81 million already, $71 million of it her own money - though political opponents have not gotten much traction in trying to make their spending an issue. (The California Nurses Association has dubbed Whitman "Queen Meg.") More problematic may be the decision by both women, particularly Fiorina, to tack right to survive to the general election. Fiorina, who has the backing of Sarah Palin, opposes abortion rights and is on record as saying people on the no-fly list should be allowed to purchase guns; both women have taken hard lines on immigration, a risky proposition in California that could cost them in the general election.

Other states holding primaries today include Iowa, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota and Virginia. There's also a runoff election in Georgia between two Republicans seeking the seat of Rep. Nathan Deal, who stepped down to run for governor.

CAMPAIGN 2010: Interactive Map of the Hot Races

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by kenhamlett June 8, 2010 9:49 PM EDT: "...South Carolina's political theatre"

While I won't comment on your assessment of the other states, you have hit on exactly what goes on in South Carolina. These are staged events for races where the favorite might do badly in an unbiased campaign. What happens is that they will fund a person intended to be a loser to pump up the intended winner's perceived popularity. Joe wilson is a good example. There was no chance of anyone else winning in the primary and the hope is that the people will forget he is a loud mouth with no concept of propriety and vote for him in the general election.
Haley is another example with a difference. She is scripted to overcome the staged infidelity claims so she is in the runoff. The runoff is my expectation since it seems to be the most likely next page in the script.

A past example which is not election related was Sanford's wife. Her publicity campaign helped draw attention away from the stacking of the courts, of which the preliminary selections and final selections were shielded due to Jenny's timing.
SC never learns. It is not only Republicans doing this but the Dems often play along since there is really not two parties but one acting as two. Wise up southern folks. You are being played for fools year after year.
Theater. Pure theater.; Reply to this comment


by freepress6 June 8, 2010 9:30 PM EDT: I know voters who would vote for Joran Van der Sloot over an incumbent.
Sterling Greenwood/AspenFreePress; Reply to this comment


by askagain June 8, 2010 7:07 PM EDT: SoCal_Gridlock - The average American only wants simple solutions. They don't study and understand economics or history. How many Americans understand our economic system enough to buy treasury notes, bonds, tax free municipal bonds, or mutual funds? Most Americans are clueless about tariffs, taxation policies, or redistribution of wealth. They want the government to take care of them from birth to death. We have one of the world's lowest savings rates. Just look at how many people bought homes they could not afford. Is it any wonder why Americans are fodder for credit card companies, banks, brokerage houses, and investment schemes?; Reply to this comment

by LtSmily June 8, 2010 1:59 PM EDT

Two questions for bantamei, nothing personal just curious (with a pinch of sarcasm for those literal readers out there).

1) Are you actually naive enough to think it's "only" the republicans fault we are in the current recession (and we all just love the quaint folksy names people make up... repubLIEcan .... how funny is that, and it really adds to the discussion).
2) Name specific "let 'em do what they want" economic policies that were enacted over, oh, let's say the last 20 years. I'll give you 2 Bushes and raise you a Clinton + Obama to work with. Caveat - no 30 second democrat talking point jibberish, we want specific Bills since you feel so affected.

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by 2badd2 June 8, 2010 6:13 PM EDT: i think you are just STUPID..

by omega42 June 8, 2010 10:32 AM EDT

If Carly Fiorina thinks she is going anywhere but into retirement she is in for a huge surprise. There are so many current and former HP employees that will be voting against her because they watched her savage the company and then sail away on her 20 million dollar golden parachute (for being fired). To see that lying hypocrite on television talking about California jobs after she sent thousands of them to Malaysia is laughable.

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by doctor_know June 8, 2010 11:53 AM EDT: HPers will unite AGAINST carly


by 2badd2 June 8, 2010 6:15 PM EDT: PLUS, she is DOUBLE UGLY..never make it..


by rightbehind June 8, 2010 9:41 AM EDT: I'm going to laugh if the republicrat from Arkansas looses. There is an attempt to influence the outcome. Districts that favor her opponent have fewer voting locations this time around. One district that has over 80 thousand voters has been reduced to 2 voting locations and some people will have to drive 20 miles to get to one of them.; Reply to this comment

by wyodutch June 8, 2010 9:11 AM EDT

How very, very sad for the Republic that the highest offices of government now go to the rich and powerful.
.
Men like Harry Truman wouldn't even make it to the primary in todays Empire.

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by rightbehind June 8, 2010 9:45 AM EDT: The republicans are so concern about the senate they want to remove the public's right to vote for senators. They want the states to appoint them. I don't want some politicians relative named billy bob making decisions for me every time some corporate cash is waived. We need to force a Constitutional amendment that reduces senate terms to 2 years like every house seat.


by cbs_tom June 8, 2010 12:44 PM EDT: "The republicans are so concern about the senate they want to remove the public's right to vote for senators. They want the states to appoint them"
by rightbehind June 8, 2010 9:45 AM EDT
If you don't like the Republicans, great...But do you have to make up such lies?

by Cassarit June 8, 2010 7:16 AM EDT

CORRECTION CORREWCTION CORRECTION
I meant to say

Fiorina almost ruined HP and she's probably a lesbian. I hope she doesn't win.

Very sorry about that.

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