Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 6, 1990 TAG: 9006060515
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A/6 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But the biggest winner on a nine-state primary night Tuesday was arguably Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi. Uncontested for the GOP nomination, he also was assured of a third term when no candidate ran in the Democratic primary.
A half-dozen other senators gained nominations for new terms. Democrats Bill Bradley of New Jersey, Howell Heflin of Alabama and Max Baucus of Montana easily overcame challenges within their party, while Democrat Tom Harkin of Iowa and Republicans Larry Pressler of South Dakota and Pete Domenici of New Mexico were unopposed.
Incumbent governors in Alabama, Iowa and South Dakota also were renominated.
But it was the California Democratic primary for governor that drew most of the nationwide attention, both for the size of the state and because the next governor will play a large role in determining which party benefits from a census that may increase the state's congressional delegation by a half-dozen seats.
"One mission completed, one to go," former San Francisco Mayor Feinstein told supporters after securing her victory in a hard-fought primary.
With 96 percent of the precincts counted, she had 52 percent of the vote, to 41 percent for Attorney General John Van de Kamp. Nine other candidates split the remaining votes.
Sen. Pete Wilson breezed to an easy primary victory on the GOP side, and said he'd keep the governor's office in Republican hands. He decided to run for the job when GOP Gov. George Deukmejian declined to seek a third term.
"My friends in the Democratic Party: Whoop it up tonight because this is your last victory party of the 1990s," said Wilson.
Feinstein praised Van de Kamp in her victory speech and said the fall campaign will be a choice between two Californias. "One . . . with a declining quality of life, more crime, more traffic . . . It is content with caretaker government," she said. "But our California is a . . . bold place."
by CNB