Two veteran congressmen easily turned aside primary challenges in Oklahoma for the chance to succeed Sen. David Boren, whose seat is key to Republican hopes of gaining control of the Senate.
Democratic Rep. Dave McCurdy and Republican Rep. James M. Inhofe won their primaries for the right to finish the remaining two years of Boren's term.Both congressmen gave up safe seats to run for the post that Boren, a Democrat, is leaving to become president of the University of Oklahoma. Republicans hope to gain control of the Senate, where Democrats hold a 56-44 majority.
In South Carolina, former state Rep. David Beasley trounced retiring Rep. Arthur Ravenel by a margin of 58 percent to 42 percent for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Republican Gov. Carroll Campbell cannot seek a third consecutive term.
Beasley urged his former GOP rivals to rally behind him in an attack on "the Bill Clinton Democrats in this country."
In Oklahoma's gubernatorial primary, former Justice Department official Frank Keating easily defeated four others for the GOP nomination. He got 56 percent of the vote to 29 percent for his nearest challenger.
On the Democratic side, Lt. Gov. Jack Mildren was in a Sept. 20 runoff with state Sen. Bernice Shed-rick after failing to get a majority of the vote. Mildren had 49 percent to 37 percent for Shedrick and two others trailed.
Former Democratic Rep. Wes Watkins is running as an independent in the Nov. 8 race to succeed one-term Democratic Gov. David Walters.
In Alaska, a crowded field of candidates vied to succeed Gov. Walter J. Hickel, who announced last week he would not seek a third term.
Businessman Jim Campbell captured the GOP nomination, defeating former Anchorage Mayor Tom Fink by 50 percent to 47 percent with 88 percent of precincts reporting.
Tony Knowles, another former Anchorage mayor, won his second consecutive Democratic nomination, defeating former Lt. Gov. Stephen McAlpine and former state House Speaker Sam Cotten.
Knowles had 43 percent, McAlpine 31 percent and Cotten 25 percent.