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Three States Narrow Senate Races Gubernatorial, Congressional Rivals Also Chosen In Primaries

Associated Press

Minnesota voters set up a fierce rematch Tuesday between Democratic Sen. Paul Wellstone and Rudy Boschwitz, the two-term Republican he ousted from office six years ago.

In Rhode Island, Republican state Treasurer Nancy Mayer and Democratic Rep. Jack Reed easily won their primaries in the race to succeed Democratic Sen. Claiborne Pell, who is retiring after six terms.

In the third Senate contest on a busy primary day, former Rep. Dick Swett narrowly defeated businessman John Rauh for New Hampshire’s Democratic Senate nomination. Swett now challenges Sen. Bob Smith, a first-term Republican viewed as vulnerable by the national Democratic Party.

The voting came as Democrats, riding high on President Clinton’s double-digit lead in the polls over Bob Dole, seek to recapture control of Congress.

In other highlights of primaries in eight states, two New England governorships were at stake, and Arizona, Connecticut, New York and Wisconsin chose congressional nominees.

In Minnesota, Wellstone swamped three rivals with 88 percent of the vote, while Boschwitz drew 80 percent against four challengers.

In New Hampshire, with 86 percent of precincts reporting, Swett had 28,426 votes or 53 percent, and Rauh had 25,460 votes or 47 percent.

Vermont Republicans gave conservative businessman John Gropper the unenviable task of taking on Gov. Howard Dean, a popular Democrat whose approval rating hovers at nearly 70 percent. With 49 percent of precincts in, Gropper had 4,063 votes or 66 percent and Tom Morse, also a businessman, had 2,089 votes or 34 percent.

In New Hampshire’s gubernatorial race, state Sen. Jeanne Shaheen won a lopsided Democratic primary victory, racking up 88 percent of the vote against two rivals. On the GOP side, Ovide Lamontagne, chairman of the state Board of Education, won a five-way race.

In a GOP primary to succeed Zeliff in Congress, John E. Sununu, son of former Gov. John Sununu, leading a field of seven with 28 percent of the vote, with 92 percent of precincts reporting.

In other voting:

In New York’s 19th Congressional District, Rep. Sue Kelly fended off a GOP challenge from Joseph DioGuardi, whom she had defeated in the 1994 primary. With 95 percent of precincts reporting, Kelly had 11,162 votes, or 53 percent, and DioGuardi had 8,876 votes or 42 percent.

In Connecticut’s 2nd Congressional District, Republicans gave Edward W. Munster a third crack at challenging Democratic Rep. Sam Gejdenson. The incumbent, seeking his ninth term, narrowly defeated Munster in 1992 and 1994 - the last time by a mere 21 votes.

Wisconsin Rep. Steve Gunderson, one of only two openly gay House Republicans, is retiring from the 3rd District. His supporters mounted a write-in effort but Gunderson did not support it and he polled about 1 percent of the vote. James Harsdorf, a former state senator, won the GOP nomination.

Arizona Rep. Jim Kolbe, the other openly gay House Republican, was drawing 75 percent of the vote against one rival, in very early returns. Kolbe revealed his homosexuality this summer when a gay magazine said it planned to “out” him because of his vote against recognizing same-sex marriages.