Smith, Bruggere Win In Oregon Races In Arkansas, Democrats Face Runoff To Challenge Huckabee

Two millionaires sailed to easy wins Tuesday in Oregon’s Senate primaries, while two veteran state lawmakers advanced to a runoff in Arkansas’ Democratic Senate primary.

Gordon Smith, making his second bid for the Senate this year, won Oregon’s GOP nomination to run for the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Mark Hatfield.

Smith got 39,261 votes, or 78 percent, with 9 percent of precincts reporting. Anti-gay-rights activist Lon Mabon was second with 4,349 votes, or 9 percent.

On the Democratic side, computer software entrepreneur Tom Bruggere, in his first bid for public office, collected 28,092 votes, or 51 percent, with 6 percent of the precincts reporting.

Harry Lonsdale, a businessman making his third bid for the Senate, was second with 14,088 votes, or 26 percent.

Smith, president of the state Senate and a frozen-food producer, came up 18,000 votes short in a January special election to replace resigning Sen. Bob Packwood.

He lost to Ron Wyden, who became the first Democratic senator elected in Oregon since 1962.

In Arkansas, Attorney General Winston Bryant and state Sen. Lu Hardin will square off in a June 11 runoff for the right to face the lone GOP candidate, Lt. Gov. Mike Huckabee, for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. David Pryor.

Bryant, undefeated in seven previous statewide races, led a field of four Democrats with 123,073 votes, or 40 percent, with 94 percent of precincts reporting.

Hardin got 68,838 votes, or 22 percent. The winner needed more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff.

Bryant said he expected a runoff because of the number of contenders, while Hardin said he was ready for a two-candidate race.

“It’ll be a tough three weeks, but a tough three weeks I’ll love very minute of,” Hardin said.

The winner will face Huckabee, a minister who in 1994 scored the GOP’s biggest victory in a statewide race this century by collecting 58 percent of the vote. Arkansas voters have never elected a Republican U.S. senator.

Huckabee could be governor by November if Gov. Jim Guy Tucker were convicted in the Whitewater trial and ousted from office. Huckabee said he doesn’t expect that, because even if Tucker were convicted he would likely appeal.

Democrats view the two races as key to recapturing the Senate, which has a record 15 seats changing hands this year, including Bob Dole, who leaves on June 11. Republicans, who control the Senate by a 53-47 margin, want to build their lead.

Elsewhere in Oregon, Rep. Wes Cooley, who has been accused of lying about his war record, marriage, academic record and a variety of financial arrangements, faced no GOP primary opposition.

He will face the Democratic nominee, Deschutes County District Attorney Mike Dugan, in November.