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Al Franken wins Senate nod amid 7 state primaries
Staff and agencies
By BRIAN BAKST, Associated Press Writer 1 minute ago
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Comedian Al Franken grabbed the Democratic nomination Tuesday for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, setting up a showdown with Republican Sen. Norm Coleman.
Minnesota voters joined those in six other states and the District of Columbia in deciding general election matchups. Nominations for House, Senate and governor were on the line, along with the fate of another TV celebrity: Kevin Powell, a former cast member on MTV‘s "Real World," who lost his bid for Congress in New York.
Lord Faris, part of a well-regarded family in state Democratic politics, criticized Franken for "angry and offensive public behavior" and said he‘d be too easy a target for Coleman and his allies.
"Norm Coleman has become Washington," Franken said. "He‘s the Washington guy and I‘m going to be fighting for Minnesotans."
"Minnesotans have a clear choice on experience," Coleman said. "Minnesotans have a clear choice in terms of record of working with others."
Some other key states primary contests include:
Voters on Staten Island also chose candidates to replace Rep. Vito Fossella, who stepped aside after a drunken driving arrest led to revelations that he‘d fathered a child with a woman who was not his wife. City Councilman Michael McMahon won the Democratic primary, while former state assemblyman Bob Straniere prevailed on the Republican side.
New Hampshire‘s two House seats, now held by Democrats, were also in play.
• Delaware: State treasurer Jack Markell won the most expensive gubernatorial primary in the state‘s history, beating Lt. Gov. John Carney. Markell, a Democrat, will face retired judge Bill Lee, who clinched the Republican primary.
• Rhode Island: Democrat Sen. Jack Reed beat a longshot challenger to seek a third term.
• District of Columbia: Former mayor Marion Barry easily held off four challengers seeking his city council seat in the Democratic primary. Barry is expected to win a second four-year term in November in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.
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Associated Press writers Devlin Barrett in New York; Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H.; Dave Gram in Montpelier, Vt.; Randall Chase in Wilmington, Del.; and Ray Henry in Providence, R.I., contributed to this report.
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