CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in 2011.

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Voters said yes to Wisconsin’s Tom Barrett, no to gay marriage and Sen. Dick Lugar. | AP Photo

IN FOCUS: PRIMARY NIGHT RESULTS

Primary results: 5 takeaways: Conservatives claimed two major victories, and Scott Walker’s main event finally arrived Tuesday night after a tandem set of state-based elections that will have a ripple effect in the fall.
Votes in the Indiana Republican Senate primary, Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary for the June recall election and North Carolina’s vote on an amendment to ban gay marriage and civil unions are now over, but they’re leaving an indelible mark on the shape of the 2012 contests…. – Politico, 5-8-12

3 Big Elections: Indiana, North Carolina, and Wisconsin: A titan of the Senate faces defeat, a gay-marriage ban looks set to pass, and Democrats nominate a candidate for the recall of Scott Walker. The presidential primaries are finally over, but across the country, the real political … The Atlantic, 5-8-12

• Five things to watch in Tuesdays contests: The long presidential primary slog continues Tuesday, with three more states going to the polls: Indiana, North Carolina and West Virginia.
  Not all the action is presidential — there are competitive congressional and gubernatorial primaries, as well. Indiana features a closely watched Senate GOP primary where longtime Sen. Dick Lugar is in jeopardy of losing his seat.
  Wisconsin voters will also cast ballots: They’ll continue their ongoing recall civil war, with recall primaries for governor, lieutenant governor and four state Senate seats…. – Politico, 5-8-12
• Primary Day: What to Watch: Congress, not the White House, is the major focus of primary elections today…. – Bloomberg, 5-8-12Lugar Loses Primary Challenge in Indiana: Richard G. Lugar, one of the Senate’s longest-serving members, lost a hard-fought Republican primary to Richard E. Mourdock, the Indiana state treasurer…. – NYT, 5-8-12
• Veteran Republican Senator Lugar soundly defeated: Senator Richard Lugar, a 35-year Senate veteran and leading foreign policy voice, was soundly defeated in the Indiana Republican primary by a Tea Party-backed rival on Tuesday…. – Reuters, 5-8-12
• Longtime GOP Sen. Richard Lugar loses Indiana primary to challenger Richard Mourdock: Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., lost a primary battle Tuesday to tea party challenger and Indiana state treasurer Richard Mourdock … Fox News, 5-8-12
• Mourdock Wins Ind. GOP Race for Senate: Tea party-backed state Treasurer Richard Mourdock won Indiana’s Republican nomination for Senate, defeating longtime Senator Richard Lugar. Mourdock will face Democratic US Rep. Joe Donnelly in November…. – WaPo, 5-8-12
• Indiana’s Lugar loses primary challenge, Romney wins trio, NC bans gay marriage: Six-term Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar was routed by the right flank of his own Republican Party on Tuesday, and North Carolina voters decided overwhelmingly to strengthen their state’s gay marriage ban. It was a double-barreled show…. – WaPo, 5-8-12
• Lugar Loses Indiana GOP Primary to Tea Party Foe: US Sen. Richard Lugar was ousted Tuesday by a tea party-backed challenger in Indiana’s Republican primary, abruptly ending his nearly four-decade career as one of Indiana’s best-known and popular politicians…. – WaPO, 5-8-12
• Lugar loss will mean new approach for Indiana in Congress: In addition to Lugar’s Tea Party-backed opponent Richard Mourdock, three other Indiana races will see new faces…. – CS Monitor, 5-8-12
• Lugar’s parting words: Part defense, part warning: As soon as 36-year Senate veteran Richard Lugar finished his concession speech Tuesday, he walked off the stage, out the back door and into his car. But he left behind something … CNN, 5-9-12
• Mourdock ends Lugar era: Republican voters handed Sen. Richard Lugar his retirement Tuesday, rejecting his bid for a seventh term and instead nominating State Treasurer Richard Mourdock. It might have been considered one of the biggest upsets in Indiana…. – Journal and Courier, 5-8-12
• Mourdock supporters say their candidate can change direction of party, nation: Many of the hundreds who attended the victory party for GOP US Senate candidate Richard Mourdock Tuesday night said they were there because they wanted change in the direction of the party and nation…. – Evansville Courier & Press, 5-8-12
• US to lose respected foreign policy voice in Lugar: Senator Richard Lugar, defeated in the Indiana Republican primary on Tuesday, was a quiet and respected voice on foreign policy during more than three decades of service that focused on stemming the worldwide spread of nuclear … Reuters, 5-9-12Wisconsin Democrats Choose Challenger to Run Against Governor in Recall Race: Democrats in Wisconsin have a month to persuade voters to unseat the governor, Scott Walker, in a recall election with Tom Barrett as Mr. Walker’s opponent…. – NYT, 5-8-12
• Milwaukee mayor to face Walker in Wis. Recall: Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett won the Democratic primary Tuesday in Wisconsin’s historic recall election, leaving him with a short four weeks to make the closing argument that Republican Gov. Scott Walker should be booted from office after 16…. – AP, 5-8-12
• Tom Barrett wins Wisconsin recall primary: Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett won the Democratic primary in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial recall election Tuesday, dealing a blow to organized labor and setting up the June 5 race against Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Barrett defeated former Dane County…. – Politico, 5-8-12
• Wisconsin Democrats Choose Challenger to Run Against Governor in Recall Race: Wisconsin Democrats will get a do-over election between Gov. Scott Walker and Tom Barrett when the two face off in a rare recall vote next month. Mr. Barrett, the mayor of Milwaukee, got the nod from his party after a statewide primary on…. – NYT, 5-8-12
• Milwaukee mayor wins Democratic primary to face Wis. Gov. Scott Walker in recall election: Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett won the Democratic primary Tuesday in Wisconsin’s historic recall election, leaving him with a short four weeks to make the closing argument that Republican Gov. Scott Walker should be booted from office … WaPo, 5-8-12
• Milwaukee mayor wins Wisconsin recall primary: Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett won the Democratic primary to face Gov. Scott Walker(R) in a recall election next month, setting up a rematch of their 2010 race. Barrett, who has been under fire from unions for using Walker’s reforms to cut benefits and…. – WaPo, 5-8-12
• Wis. Gov. Scott Walker easily wins Republican primary in recall election: Wis. Gov. Scott Walker easily wins Republican primary in recall election over union rights…. – WaPo, 5-8-12North Carolina Voters Pass Same-Sex Marriage Ban: North Carolina’s voters on Tuesday approved a constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage, joining 29 other states and the rest of the South…. – NYT, 5-8-12
• NC approves amendment on gay marriage: North Carolina voters approved a constitutional amendment Tuesday defining marriage solely as a union between a man and a woman, becoming the latest state to effectively slam the door shut on same-sex marriages…. – AP, 5-8-12
• North Carolina voters approve same-sex marriage ban: North Carolina voters on Tuesday approved a state constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage and civil unions, dealing a blow to efforts across the United States to expand gay marriage rights.
  The amendment, which says marriage between a man and a woman is the only legally recognized domestic union in the state, passed by a wide margin. With 95 of 100 counties’ results reported, about 61 percent of votes backed the amendment.
  North Carolina law already blocks gay and lesbian couples from marrying, but the state now joins the rest of the Southeast states in adding the prohibition to its constitution.
  Many voters simply viewed the amendment as a vote on same-sex marriage despite efforts by the measure’s opponents to broaden the discussion, said Tom Jensen of the Raleigh-based Public Policy Polling firm.
  Massachusetts, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York and the District of Columbia allow gay and lesbian nuptials.
  Maryland, New Jersey and Washington state have passed laws this year approving same-sex marriage, but Governor Chris Christie vetoed New Jersey’s law and opponents in Maryland and Washington are threatening ballot initiatives to overturn those laws…. – Reuters, 5-8-12
• NC voters OK ban on gay marriage: North Carolina voters approved a state constitutional amendment Tuesday declaring marriage is solely between a man and a woman, dealing a setback to gay-rights advocates…. – USA Today, 5-8-12
• NC approves constitutional ban on same-sex marriage: North Carolina voters approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage Tuesday, dealing a setback to a gay rights movement that has enjoyed significant momentum in recent years. With less than a third of the returns tallied, the measure had enough…. – WaPo, 5-8-12
• Gay marriage: North Carolina voters approve constitutional ban: North Carolina voters on Tuesday appeared to easily pass Amendment One, an amendment to the state constitution that not only bans gay marriage but also outlaws civil unions and domestic partnerships…. – LAT, 5-8-12
• Obama’s campaign says he is ‘disappointed’ with NC amendment banning gay marriage: President Barack Obama’s campaign says he’s “disappointed” with North Carolina’s constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Obama campaign spokesman Cameron French said in a Tuesday statement that the ban on same-sex unions is…. – WaPo, 5-8-12
• NC passes Marriage Amendment: A majority of North Carolinians voted Tuesday in favor of a Constitutional amendment that recognizes the marriage of a man and woman as the only valid domestic union in North Carolina, with a 61 percent to 38 … – Durham Herald Sun, 5-8-12
• Marriage amendment passes by large margin: With a more than 20-point lead with more than 90 percent of precincts reported, North Carolina’s marriage amendment has passed…. – WXII The Triad, 5-8-12