Politics

Virginia Pol Dodges A Bullet

June 9, 2004 / 8:05 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Congressman Jim Moran has beaten back an aggressive primary challenge, defeating Andrew Rosenberg in Virginia's Eighth Congressional District Democratic race.

With 100 percent of the vote counted, Moran had 59 percent, compared to 41 percent for Rosenberg.

Last year, the 7-term congressman became a target for criticism for saying Jewish influence was pushing the U.S. into a war with Iraq. He later issued an apology for "insensitive remarks" he made at a forum at a local Episcopal church.

Talking about the likelihood of war with Iraq, Moran said, "If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this."

This year, in the campaign's final week, Moran's longtime pollster, Alan Secrest, said he quit the campaign because of anti-Semitic remarks Moran made at a private campaign meeting.

Moran and two other aides who attended the meeting denied Secrest's charge. Secrest has not discloses what Moran allegedly said.

The Washington Post reported that other problems that have dogged Moran include a bitter divorce, an incident in which he pushed another congressman and taking personal loans from creditors with business interests in legislation he supported.

Moran, whose district is heavily Democratic, is expected to win re-election in November.

In other primary results:

In South Carolina, former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley and three-term Rep. Jim DeMint advanced to a runoff for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings. Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum won the Democratic primary.

In Montana's primaries for an open governor's seat, Secretary of State Bob Brown defeated self-declared conservative Pat Davison in the race for the Republican nomination. Republican Gov. Judy Martz chose not to seek re-election. Brown will go up against Democrat Brian Schweitzer, a farmer who came within 4 percentage points of defeating Republican Sen. Conrad Burns in 2000.

In all, seven states held primaries Tuesday, including Iowa, Maine, New Jersey and North Dakota. Most saw noncompetitive primaries, with scant or no challenges for each parties' candidates for Congress or governor, and the real contest waiting until the fall general election.