Primary result: Sen. Blanche Lincoln wins in Arkansas
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Sen. Blanche Lincoln on Tuesday beat back a challenge from her left and won the Democratic nomination in a close runoff in Arkansas.The Associated Press projected Lincoln as the winner over Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, the favorite of unions who wanted to punish Lincoln.
Lincoln, who is in her second term, won the May 18 primary but fell short of the 50% needed to win the nomination, resulting in Tuesday’s runoff.
She was strongly opposed by organized labor, which poured money and people into the runoff. She will face Republican Rep. John Boozman in the fall in a race that the GOP has made one of its top targets to alter the makeup of the Senate.
Sens. Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) and Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) have already been denied renomination by their parties this year. Lincoln was expected to lose but waged a tough campaign.
Lincoln stressed she was a moderate, but unions spent an estimated $5 million to support Halter. Unions complained that Lincoln opposed a strong healthcare overhaul and were angered by her anti-union positions on organizing and trade issues.
-- Michael Muskal
