On To The General Election

The Middle East conflict emerged in the unlikeliest of places, tangling up a Democratic House primary in a mostly rural, majority-black district where a former prosecutor forced five-term Democratic Rep. Earl Hilliard into a runoff.

Elsewhere in Tuesday's primaries, challengers to New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Torricelli and Alabama Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman vowed to make ethics - or the incumbents' alleged lapses - the message of their campaigns.

Towering political figures in two states won easy victories. South Dakota Gov. Bill Janklow swept past former GOP Sen. Larry Pressler for a House bid; Bill Richardson, former energy secretary and New Mexico congressman, won the Democratic nomination for New Mexico's open governor's seat.

In all, voters in seven states chose candidates in the busiest primary day yet of the 2002 election season, setting the stage for contentious governors' contests and competitive congressional races that could decide control of the Senate and House.

In Alabama, however, the June 25 Democratic runoff will decide who goes to Congress, since Republicans didn't field a candidate in the overwhelmingly Democratic district.

Hilliard, the lone black member of Alabama's congressional delegation, failed to win a majority, collecting 43,839 votes, or 45 percent, to Harvard-educated lawyer Artur Davis's 42,689 votes, or 44 percent.

Davis criticized the incumbent's positions on the Middle East, including a bill he wrote to lift most U.S. economic sanctions, including those against countries that support terrorism. Hilliard had also been widely criticized for a 1997 visit to Libya.

Davis was blasted in an anonymous memo for support he received from Jewish donors; Hilliard has gotten support from Arab groups. Both men are black.

"We've done something no one thought we could do," said Davis, who lost to Hilliard by a wide margin in the 2000 primary. "The turnaround from two years ago has been remarkable."

In New Jersey, Torricelli, who has been dogged by unproven allegations of financial impropriety, will face wealthy businessman Douglas Forrester, who spent $3 million to win the GOP nomination.

Forrester won with 44 percent of the vote, and vowed to make the race a campaign about integrity. "I am here to say to New Jersey that help is on the way," Forrester said. His closest challenger, state Sen. Diane Allen, had 37 percent.

Torricelli, who faced no primary opponent, said the race will be about tax relief, environmental protection, more police and more teachers. "Whatever they may say, whatever they may do, you keep your eyes on the future," he told supporters.

Siegelman, who faces a joint state-federal ethics investigation, crushed a Democratic challenger, and dismissed the GOP primary won by Rep. Bob Riley as "a beauty contest."

The folksy and charismatic Riley ran ads that featured him on his horse in a green pasture. He told supporters: "The people of Alabama deserve a governor who will be straight and honest and won't be corrupt. Folks, we are almost there."

Siegelman won his primary with 74 percent of the vote; Riley won a three-way race with 73 percent.

Here are the highlights of Tuesday's primaries in Alabama, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota:

ALABAMA

SENATE: Incumbent Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions was unopposed in the primary. Two liberals, state auditor Susan Parker and lawyer Julian McPhillips, were in a runoff when neither got 50.1 percent.

GOVERNOR: Democratic incumbent Gov. Don Siegelman won five-way primary. Republican Rep. Bob Riley beat Lt. Gov. Steve Windom and Tim James for GOP nomination.

HOUSE: Five-term Rep. Earl Hilliard forced into a runoff after strong challenge from former federal prosecutor Artur Davis. Neither got 50.1 percent.

OTHER: Former Gov. Guy Hunt, ousted by ethics conviction, won the GOP nomination for state Senate seat. Unclear early Wednesday whether former Alabama first lady Lisa Wallace, the third wife of late Gov. George Wallace, had advanced to GOP runoff for state treasurer.

IOWA

SENATE: Three-term Democratic incumbent Sen. Tom Harkin unopposed in primary. He will face four-term GOP Rep. Greg Ganske, who won the primary after receiving support from President Bush.

HOUSE: Bettendorf Mayor Ann Hutchinson won Democratic primary to challenge GOP Rep. Jim Nussle. An open seat in western Iowa sought by four Republicans and a lone Democrat was too close to call early Wednesday.

GOVERNOR: Freshman Democratic incumbent Gov. Tom Vilsack unopposed in primary. Three-way GOP primary won by Doug Gross, chief of staff for former GOP Gov. Terry Branstad.

MISSISSIPPI

SENATE: Three-term GOP incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran unopposed in primary. Democrats decided between retired private investigator Steven Turney and retiree James "Bootie" Hunt. Returns were delayed early Wednesday by a ballot problem.

HOUSE: Democratic incumbent Rep. Bennie Thompson defeated retired Agriculture Department official George Irvin. He will face first-time candidate Clinton B. LeSueur, who won GOP nomination.

MONTANA

SENATE: Four-term incumbent Democratic Sen. Max Baucus was unopposed in the primary. State Sen. Mike Taylor won three-way GOP primary.

HOUSE: Freshman GOP Rep. Dennis Rehberg was unopposed in the primary. Artist/business owner Steve Kelly won Democratic nomination.

OTHER: Voters in Helena, the capital, decided to ban smoking in indoor public places, including bars and restaurants.

NEW JERSEY

SENATE: Incumbent Democratic Sen. Robert Torricelli was unopposed in the primary. Millionaire businessman Douglas Forrester defeated two rivals for GOP nomination.

HOUSE: Conservative state lawmaker Scott Garrett won a five-way GOP primary to succeed Republican Rep. Marge Roukema, who is retiring. Former Republican Anne Sumers, a team doctor for the New York Giants, is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

NEW MEXICO

SENATE: Five-term Republican Sen. Pete Domenici was unopposed in the primary. Gloria Tristani, granddaughter of former Sen. Dennis Chavez, defeated attorney Francesca Lobato for Democratic nomination.

HOUSE: Republican Steve Pearce and Democrat John Arthur Smith nominated to run for seat left open by GOP Rep. Joe Skeen, retiring after 11 terms.

GOVERNOR: Open race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Gary Johnson. Former New Mexico congressman and Clinton administration official Bill Richardson will face GOP state Rep. John Sanchez.

SOUTH DAKOTA

SENATE: Freshman Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson defeated a little-known farmer to win the primary. He will face GOP Rep. John Thune, who was asked to challenge Johnson by President Bush and was unopposed in the GOP primary.

HOUSE: The term-limited Gov. Bill Janklow defeated former Sen. Larry Pressler to win the GOP primary for an open seat. He will face lawyer Stephanie Herseth, granddaughter of a former governor.

GOVERNOR: Businessman Mike Rounds won the GOP nomination by defeating Attorney General Mark Barnett and former Lt. Gov. Steve Kirby. He will face Democrat Jim Abbott, who defeated three other candidates.

CORPORATE FARMS: Voters turned down a proposal that sought, with some exceptions, to bar corporations from farming or owning farmland.