In Alabama, Governor Defeats Former Justice in Primary
By MONICA DAVEY
nytimes.com
In their battle to be the Republican candidate for governor of Alabama, Bob Riley, the current governor, defeated Roy S. Moore, the former Alabama chief justice who drew national attention when he refused a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state judicial building's rotunda and was removed from the bench.
Alabama's was among the most colorful contests on Tuesday, as voters picked their party's gubernatorial candidates in several primary elections around the country.
On the Democratic side, Lucy Baxley, Alabama's lieutenant governor, defeated six candidates, including Donald Siegelman, a former governor who was, even on Election Day, standing trial on racketeering and bribery charges.
Ms. Baxley, the ex-wife of Bill Baxley, a former lieutenant governor and state attorney general, had gained momentum in the polls since April, when Mr. Siegelman's trial opened; he is accused of taking campaign donations and gifts and offering political favors in return.
With 70 percent of precincts reporting, Mr. Riley won with 205,324 votes, or 64 percent, to Mr. Moore's 116,227 votes, or 36 percent. Ms. Baxley had 214,234 votes, or 60 percent of the vote, to Mr. Siegelman's 36 percent and far lesser shares for five others.
In Iowa, four Democrats were hoping to take the place of Gov. Tom Vilsack, who decided not to seek re-election after two terms and is sometimes mentioned as a possible presidential candidate. Chet Culver, Iowa's secretary of state, faced Mike Blouin, the state's former economic director, and Ed Fallon, a state representative from Des Moines..
On the Republican side, United States Representative Jim Nussle faced no opposition .
In South Dakota, Gov. Mike Rounds, who, in March, signed into law the most restrictive ban on abortion in the nation, was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Two Democrats, Jack Billion, a retired surgeon from Sioux Falls and Dennis Wiese, a former president of the South Dakota Farmers Union from Flandreau, were competing for the Democratic nomination. Both have criticized Mr. Rounds in the weeks leading up to Tuesday, saying they would not have signed such an abortion ban.
In New Mexico, Gov. Bill Richardson was not formally challenged for the Democratic nomination, nor was J.R. Damron on the Republican side. Both faced nominal challenges from write-in candidates.
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