Primary Results from Connecticut, Florida and Wisconsin

Connecticut The two candidates expected to claim their party’s nomination for the open U.S. Senate seat created by the retirement of Sen. Joe Lieberman (I) did so with ease. Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT05) won his primary with 67.5% over former Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz (D), while Linda McMahon (R) bested former Congressman Chris Shays (R) by receiving 72.7% of the vote. McMahon’s background and involvement with the WWE will attract attention to this race. Unless something turns this race up-side-down, it is all but likely Murphy will succeed Lieberman in the Senate. AGC PAC has not taken a position in this race. Florida Florida is one of the “Big Three” states, along with Ohio and Virginia. All three are must-win states for Gov. Mitt Romney to win the White House and all three states have competitive Senate races where Republican victories would take a seat from Democrat control. While the Primary Election was settled quickly, the General Election will be much more difficult for incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson (D) in his hopes to win a third term. If challenger Rep. Connie Mack (R) wins, Sen. Marco Rubio (R), who first won election in 2010, will become the most senior Florida Senator. The Real Clear Politics (RCP) average of national July polls shows a difference of 0.2 percent in favor of Rep. Mack over Sen. Nelson. If either President Barack Obama or Romney can demonstrate obvious momentum in the state polls, expect to see the respective Senate candidate move ahead as well. AGC PAC is currently evaluating the race; it has not contributed to either candidate. In a primary closely watched by transportation interests, Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica (R-FL) easily beat back a challenge from freshman legislator Sandy Adams (R-FL). Representative Adams had tried to discredit Mica’s conservative credentials because he oversaw the passage of Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st century (MAP-21). The upset of the night occurred in Florida’s Third District where veterinarian Ted Yoho (R) surprised nearly everyone by defeating 12-term incumbent Rep. Cliff Stearns (R) narrowly in a four-way primary by just 829 votes (34.4 percent to 33.1 percent). AGC PAC did not participate in this primary election. Wisconsin The marquee race from Tuesday’s primaries was the contest to win the Republican nomination for Senate in Wisconsin between Tommy Thompson (R) and Eric Hovde (R). Victory went to Tommy Thompson, who is a former four-term Governor, state legislator, Cabinet member and unsuccessful candidate for president. His long political career stretches back to when he won a seat to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1966. By contrast, businessman Eric Hovde, born in 1964, was making his first run at political office. Former Congressman Mark Neumann (R) and Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly Jeff Fitzgerald (R) were also vying for the nomination. Thompson’s victory speech demonstrated the energy he will need going forward in order to beat seven-term Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D) in the November General Election. Baldwin will draw upon strong support from liberal organizations across the country. Baldwin ran unopposed in her primary. Most polls indicate a slight advantage for Thompson to win this open seat, which was created when Sen. Herb Kohl (D) announced his retirement. A Democrat hold here would help the Democrats keep a Senate majority, while a Thompson win could give Republicans a solid chance to have an outright majority.  AGC PAC has contributed to the Thompson campaign. For more information, please contact David Ashinoff at (202) 547-5013 or ashinoffd@agc.org.