Dingell hangs on in Michigan

Rep. John Dingell, who stressed his longevity in Congress, Tuesday held a lead over Lynn Rivers in the race for the Democratic nomination in Michigan's 15th Congressional District -- one of several around the country that pitted incumbents against each other as a result of redistricting based on the 2000 census.

In other contests in the primaries in Michigan, Missouri and Kansas, Sen. Jean Carnahan won her first political race, capturing the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Missouri.

The choice in Michigan's 15th Congressional District was a tough one: Dingell and Rivers agree on most issues, with their biggest difference in their stands on gun control. Dingell is a former board member of the National Rifle Association and while Rivers backs strict gun control measures.

With 43 percent of the vote counted, Dingell led Rivers 55 percent to 45 percent.

In Michigan's 12th Congressional District, incumbent Democrat Sandor Levin, the brother of Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., topped challenger William Callahan, 80 percent to 17 percent, in a race that was tinged with anti-Semitic remarks. Callahan reportedly said Levin could not adequately represent the district because he's not Christian but later said his remarks were taken out of context.

Attorney General Jennifer Granholm held a substantial lead over former Gov. James Blanchard and Rep. David Bonior in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination while Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus won the Republican nod.

With 57 percent of the vote counted, Granholm had 48 percent, to 28 percent for Blanchard and 24 percent for Bonior. Blanchard was the last Democrat elected governor in Michigan but was ousted in his bid for a third term in 1990 by incumbent Gov. John Engler. Engler was precluded by state law from seeking a fourth term.

A poll released last week gave Granholm the edge over Posthumus in the Nov. 5 general election.

In Missouri, Carnahan handily defeated Darrel Day, 82 percent to 18 percent, in the Democratic primary for Senate and will face former Rep. Jim Talent who won the Republican nod. Carnahan was appointed to the seat won posthumously by her husband, Mel, who was killed in a plane crash along with the couple's son en route to a campaign appearance in October 2000.

This is Carnahan's first foray into politics in her own right while Talent is a veteran politician who came within 20,000 votes of becoming Missouri's governor in 2000.

In Kansas, state Treasurer Tim Shallenburger won the GOP primary for governor, in a race marked by vicious campaign ads.

With 79 percent of the vote counted, Shallenburger had 42 percent of the vote to 30 percent for state Senate President David Kerr, 25 percent for Wichita Mayor Bob Knight and 3 percent for Dan Bloom.

Shallenburger will face state Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius, who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary and already has amassed a $2 million war chest for November.