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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Mitch McConnell wins Kentucky primary in resounding victory | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Conservative Republicans called for a | |
| truce with the party leadership in an effort to win control of the US Senate, after minority leader | |
| Mitch McConnell scored a resounding win over a Tea Party | |
| challenger in key primary elections. | challenger in key primary elections. |
| Minutes after the polls closed in | |
| Kentucky, the Associated Press declared McConnell the nominee for that state, in a race that was once seen as the best | |
| opportunity for rightwing Republicans to punish him for backing down during last October's budget showdown in | |
| Washington. | Washington. |
| Instead results showed McConnell | |
| ahead by some 24 percentage points over Tea Party-supported | ahead by some 24 percentage points over Tea Party-supported |
| businessman Matt Bevin by the time 71% of precincts | |
| declared at 8.20pm. | declared at 8.20pm. |
| The result was not a | |
| surprise given recent opinion polling but the scale and speed of the | surprise given recent opinion polling but the scale and speed of the |
| defeat prompted the Senate Conservatives Fund – a self-styled | defeat prompted the Senate Conservatives Fund – a self-styled |
| “grassroots” group funding “true conservatives” – to urge its | |
| supporters to put the rancorous campaign behind them and back | supporters to put the rancorous campaign behind them and back |
| McConnell. In the November midterm elections, he will face a tough challenge from Democrat Alison | |
| Lundergan Grimes, who also comfortably won her primary. | Lundergan Grimes, who also comfortably won her primary. |
| We thank Matt Bevin for giving conservatives a choice in this election. Now it's time to unite for victory in November. #KYSen | We thank Matt Bevin for giving conservatives a choice in this election. Now it's time to unite for victory in November. #KYSen |
| Bevin stopped short of | |
| endorsing McConnell but encouraged his supporters to continue | |
| “working in the confines of the Republican party”. | |
| McConnell, who had once threatened to | McConnell, who had once threatened to |
| punch groups like SCF “in the nose” for dragging the party into a | punch groups like SCF “in the nose” for dragging the party into a |
| pointless budget showdown, turned instead to his Democrat opponent, accusing her of being “Barack Obama's candidate” in a victory | pointless budget showdown, turned instead to his Democrat opponent, accusing her of being “Barack Obama's candidate” in a victory |
| speech that gave a taste of how Republicans plan to fight November's | speech that gave a taste of how Republicans plan to fight November's |
| key midterm election. | key midterm election. |
| With Kentucky joining states like North | With Kentucky joining states like North |
| Carolina in rejecting the Tea Party wave that has dominated much of | Carolina in rejecting the Tea Party wave that has dominated much of |
| Washington politics for the last five years, the Democrats now face a | Washington politics for the last five years, the Democrats now face a |
| tougher battle to hold on to the half a dozen vulnerable seats standing | tougher battle to hold on to the half a dozen vulnerable seats standing |
| between them and a total loss of control in Congress. | between them and a total loss of control in Congress. |
| Early results in Georgia's Republican primary also suggested | Early results in Georgia's Republican primary also suggested |
| a tight race between David Perdue and Jack Kingston, two candidates | a tight race between David Perdue and Jack Kingston, two candidates |
| approved by the mainstream of the party. | approved by the mainstream of the party. |
| Rightwinger Karen Handel was coming in third, although her | Rightwinger Karen Handel was coming in third, although her |
| campaign stressed that the base of her support, Fulton county, would | campaign stressed that the base of her support, Fulton county, would |
| be counted last, potentially providing her with a late surge. | be counted last, potentially providing her with a late surge. |
| Either way, Tea Party-backed congressmen Phil Gingrey and Paul | Either way, Tea Party-backed congressmen Phil Gingrey and Paul |
| Broun were both trailing badly. | Broun were both trailing badly. |
| Meanwhile Democrat Michelle Nunn was on the cusp of securing | Meanwhile Democrat Michelle Nunn was on the cusp of securing |
| her nomination. Early voting figures showed her trouncing the | her nomination. Early voting figures showed her trouncing the |
| competition, securing more than 70% of the vote. | competition, securing more than 70% of the vote. |
| Few had doubted Nunn, the daughter of former Democratic senator | Few had doubted Nunn, the daughter of former Democratic senator |
| Sam Nunn, would secure her party's backing. | Sam Nunn, would secure her party's backing. |
| Demographic changes in Georgia, which has seen a significant | Demographic changes in Georgia, which has seen a significant |
| growth in minority voters, have led top Democratic party strategists | growth in minority voters, have led top Democratic party strategists |
| to identify the state as one they can wrestle back from Republicans. | to identify the state as one they can wrestle back from Republicans. |
| The focus of their strategy is to mobilise the large and growing | The focus of their strategy is to mobilise the large and growing |
| Democratic base in the state but party bosses also believe Nunn – the | Democratic base in the state but party bosses also believe Nunn – the |
| chief executive of the Points of Light Foundation founded by former Republican | chief executive of the Points of Light Foundation founded by former Republican |
| president George Bush Sr – has the kind of profile that will | president George Bush Sr – has the kind of profile that will |
| appeal to Georgia's conservative electorate. | appeal to Georgia's conservative electorate. |
| Nunn's campaign manager, Jeff DeSantis, describes her as a | Nunn's campaign manager, Jeff DeSantis, describes her as a |
| "non-political candidate". Viewers of her TV ads – which emphasise her relationship with Bush – could be forgiven | "non-political candidate". Viewers of her TV ads – which emphasise her relationship with Bush – could be forgiven |
| for thinking she is a Republican. She has | |
| studiously avoided any association with President Barack Obama. | studiously avoided any association with President Barack Obama. |
| In an interview with the Guardian on the eve of the poll Nunn | In an interview with the Guardian on the eve of the poll Nunn |
| declined to say whether she would have voted for the | declined to say whether she would have voted for the |
| president's Affordable Care Act and refused to say which president – Bush or Obama – had done a superior job. "I have an | |
| extraordinary respect for all of the presidents and the service that | extraordinary respect for all of the presidents and the service that |
| they render," Nunn said. | |
| Asked again who she thought was preferable out of the Republican | Asked again who she thought was preferable out of the Republican |
| and Democratic presidents, Nunn replied: "As I move forward in | and Democratic presidents, Nunn replied: "As I move forward in |
| Georgia I am going to be looking forward to working with the | Georgia I am going to be looking forward to working with the |
| president, whichever party they represent." | president, whichever party they represent." |