Fall Races Set Up in Idaho, Kentucky

Idaho Democrats chose candidates Tuesday to take on a pair of popular Republicans--Sen. Larry E. Craig and Gov. Dirk Kempthorne--while the primary in Kentucky to pick a Democratic challenger for GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell was too close to call.

The Kentucky race was a battle between Lois Combs Weinberg, the daughter of the late Gov. Bert Combs, and Tom Barlow, who served one term in Congress after ousting an incumbent scarred by the 1990s House banking scandal.

Weinberg clung to a razor-thin lead against Barlow with almost all the votes counted, but the race remained too close to call.

With all precincts reporting, Weinberg had 231,060 votes, or 50.2%, and Barlow had 229,060 votes, or 49.8%.

The tally by Associated Press differed from that of the Kentucky secretary of state’s office, which showed Weinberg winning by about 900 votes.

Weinberg claimed victory late Tuesday, saying the win showed “the voters of Kentucky are ready for something new.”

But Barlow said the declaration was premature and did not immediately concede.

Weinberg raised more than $1.4 million and banked much of it in preparation for a general election race against McConnell, a three-term incumbent.

The Senate primary in Idaho pitted former Wall Street investment banker Alan Blinken against David Sneddon, an underfinanced real estate agent. The winner faces Craig, 56, who faced no GOP opponent in his bid for a third term.

Blinken, 64, a millionaire who was President Clinton’s ambassador to Belgium, was painted by critics as an elite carpetbagger who doesn’t understand Idaho values. In the governor’s race, newspaper publisher Jerry Brady made his political debut against retired construction worker Rue Stears, 81, for the Democratic nomination to challenge Kempthorne.

The governor, dogged by an eroding economy and intensifying fiscal problems, had three primary challengers: Walter Bayes, Milt Erhart and Raynelle George.

Also in Kentucky, Republican voters in Pulaski County chose police Det. Todd Wood as their nominee to succeed Sheriff Sam Catron, 48, who was killed at an April campaign rally.

A former candidate and two supporters have been charged in the slaying.

Wood will face Democrat Norris Whitaker this fall.