INDIANAPOLIS — Former Sen. Dan Coats, the Washington establishment’s favored Republican, won the GOP nomination in Indiana’s Senate race Tuesday, beating back a challenge from one candidate supported by the Tea Party coalition and another who is a former congressman.
Voters in North Carolina and Ohio also made their choices in House and Senate primaries.
In Indiana this fall, Coats, who was recruited by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, will face Democrat Brad Ellsworth. The candidates are seeking the seat held by retiring Sen. Evan Bayh, a Democrat.
Coats, 66, retired from the Senate in 1998, has worked as a lobbyist and was U.S. ambassador to Germany under President George W. Bush. He overcame spirited challenges from four candidates, including state Sen. Marlin Stutzman, a Tea Party favorite endorsed by South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint; and former Rep. John Hostett ler, who had the support of one-time presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas.
Turnout was exceptionally light in Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina, a possible indication that the anger fueling voters across the country over economic woes, persistently high unemployment and Congress itself wasn’t translating into votes — and, perhaps, the limited influence of the conservatives and libertarians who make up the fledgling Tea Party.
“We rebuilt the pyramids and recarved the Grand Canyon in our spare time,” joked poll worker Dina Roberts, who saw 147 voters in 12 hours at her downtown Indianapolis polling site.
In all three states, candidates backed by Democratic and Republican leaders in Washington squared off against challengers drawing their support from elsewhere.
While it’s difficult to draw concrete conclusions about the state of the country from just a few races, the results gave some idea of whether the national parties still can influence rank-and- file supporters.
At the very least, the outcome of Tuesday’s primaries — the first set of contests in the two months since Texas held its February primary — set the stage for November’s congressional matchups and provided early insights about voter attitudes ahead of this fall’s elections.
In one notable House race in Indiana, 14-term Republican Rep. Dan Burton — Indiana’s longest-serving congressman — was in a close race.
