Riley, Baxley win Alabama nominations

CARLSBAD, Calif. --Alabama Gov. Bob Riley easily beat back a GOP primary challenge from Ten Commandments judge Roy Moore on Tuesday, while Democratic former Gov. Don Siegelman lost his comeback fight against the state's first female lieutenant governor.

As eight states held primaries, New Jersey Republicans chose Tom Kean Jr., the son of a popular former governor, to challenge Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez in the fall. Also in Alabama, voters passed a ban on gay marriage by a 4-to-1 margin.

Early returns in California showed a tight race between the two Democrats hoping to challenge GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. With just 2 percent of precincts reporting, state Treasurer Phil Angelides had 44 percent and Controller Steve Westly had 45 percent of the votes.

Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota also held primaries, as many states reported low turnout.

The biggest race was the special election in Southern California to fill the House seat of imprisoned former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, with the political world hoping for clues to the public mood ahead of this fall's midterm elections.

Money and attention from around the country poured into the San Diego-area election, with the Democrats seeing a rich opportunity to capture a solidly Republican district. Cunningham, a Republican, was sent to prison for eight years for taking bribes on a scale unparalleled in the history of Congress.

In New Jersey, Kean -- who critics said needed a convincing win to be a real challenger in the fall -- easily defeated a more conservative candidate, winning three of every four votes. Menendez, appointed to his seat after former Sen. Jon Corzine became governor, beat a little-known challenger.

In the weeks leading up to Alabama's gubernatorial primary, polls showed Riley with a growing lead on Moore, the former state chief justice who became a hero to the religious right in 2003 when he was ousted over his refusal to remove the Commandments monument from the state judicial building.

That same year, Riley saw his popularity plummet when he unsuccessfully sought a $1.2 billion tax increase. But his standing rose with the state economy, and this year he helped pass a tax cut for the working poor.

Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley fashioned an "I Love Lucy" campaign, while Siegelman had to campaign at night while on trial on corruption charges during the day.

With 70 percent of precincts reporting, Riley won with 205,324 votes, or 64 percent, to Moore's 116,227 votes, or 36 percent. Among the Democrats, Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley won with 214,234 votes, or 60 percent, against Siegelman with 127,275 votes, or 36 percent. Siegelman spent Election Day standing trial on corruption charges stemming from his single term as governor.