Arkansas, Pennsylvania And Oregon Hold Primaries
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, May 19) -- Voters in Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Oregon cast ballots in their state primaries Tuesday to nominate candidates for governor, the U.S. Senate and the House.
Republican Reps. Bill Goodling and Jon Fox both face tough primary races in Pennsylvania, while a hot race in Arkansas will determine the nominees for the Senate seat of retiring Democrat Dale Bumpers.
And in Oregon, a congressional primary election will decide the comeback attempt of disgraced former Republican Rep. Wes Cooley.
Pennsylvania
In south-central Pennsylvania, Goodling, 70, is running for a 13th term in the House. He is one of the old bulls in Congress and serves as chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committees.
Though he has promised that this would be his last term, Goodling's length of service has attracted the attention of term-limit proponents who are working to see him defeated.
An organization called Americans for Limited Terms is spending $300,000 on ads against the 24-year veteran of the House. And anti-abortion activist Gary Bauer has spent $25,000 on an anti-Goodling radio ad.
The beneficiary is Goodling's opponent, lawyer-activist Charlie Gerow, who otherwise was not expected to be much of a challenger. Gerow has raised surprisingly little money on his own. With only about $100,000 to spend, Gerow can't afford TV ads, and only a little radio and mail.
"If it wasn't for their money, Gerow probably wouldn't have a chance of beating Bill Goodling," said political analyst Stuart Rothenberg.
In suburban Philadelphia, the two-term incumbent Fox faces three primary opponents: lawyer Jonathan Newman, ophthalmologist Melissa Brown and anti-abortion activist Michael McMonagle. Newman is considered Fox's main challenger.
Deep pockets have been a factor in the race as Newman used $600,000 of his personal money on TV and radio ads, and has said he may spend as much as $1 million to try to win the nomination. Brown spent $200,000.
The unopposed Democratic nominee for the seat is the well-funded Joseph Hoeffel, who was edged out by Fox in 1996 by only 84 votes.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania's 1st District is holding a special election to replace Democratic Rep. Tom Foglietta, who resigned to become U.S. ambassador to Italy. Philadelphia Democratic Party Chairman Bob Brady is favored to win the seat.
Republican Gov. Tom Ridge had no primary opposition in his drive toward a second term while three-term Republican Sen. Arlen Specter was heavily favored over two GOP opponents. Both Democratic primaries featured three-way races.
Arkansas
Arkansas' hottest race is for the open seat of Democratic Sen. Dale Bumpers, who is retiring after 24 years in the Senate.
In a crowded field of candidates for the Democratic nomination, state Attorney General Winston Bryant and former Rep. Blanche Lambert Lincoln have emerged as the two front-runners. Trailing behind is lawyer Nate Coulter, a 1993 candidate for lieutenant governor, and state Rep. Scott Ferguson.
If no Democrat receives at least 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters will square off June 9.
Republicans would like to use Sen. Tim Hutchinson's 1996 victory, the party's first Senate win in Arkansas, to further erode the Democrats' traditional stronghold on the states.
Their most likely nominee is state Sen. Fay Boozman, who got an early boost by an endorsement from Hutchinson. His anti-abortion positioning has also earned him the support of Christian conservatives. Boozman's only challenger is Little Rock Mayor Tom Prince.
Gov. Mike Huckabee is also up for re-election but his high poll ratings make him hard to beat. His only primary opponent is retired Arkansas Air National Guard Col. Gene McVay.
As an interesting side note, in the Arkansas primary, 49 of the 100 state House seats are open because term limits have forced incumbents into retirement.
Oregon
Though considered a longshot, Cooley is making another run for Congress, after he was forced to give up his seat amid allegations he lied about his war record in an Oregon voters pamphlet.
Cooley is one of four Republicans candidates vying for the nomination of Oregon's conservative 2nd district.
The two front-runners for the seat are former state Sen. Greg Walden and Christian broadcaster Perry Atkinson.
Walden was hand-picked by the seat current occupant, retiring Rep. Bob Smith who has represented the sprawling rural district for seven terms. Atkinson jumped into the race, charging that Smith's conservative views are not "conservative enough."
As in the Goodling race in Pennsylvania, Bauer has once again put money into a local election in support of Atkinson. Even with the outside infusion, Atkinson's coffers still run behind Walden's though.
CNN's Brooks Jackson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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