Arizona Woman Wins Primary for U.S. Senate

Phoenix-area community activist Claire Sargent won the Democratic Senate primary in Arizona on Tuesday, becoming the 10th woman nominated for the chamber this year by a major party.

That ties a record set in 1984, which in turn could be surpassed next Tuesday. Primaries in New York and Washington state feature women candidates seeking Senate nominations.

Of the 10 nominated so far this year, nine are Democrats--including Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer in California--and one is a Republican.

Sargent will attempt to unseat Republican incumbent John McCain, who was one of the so-called “Keating Five” senators called before the Senate Ethics Committee in 1991 to answer allegations that they intervened with federal regulators on behalf of savings and loan owner Charles H. Keating Jr., who also made contributions to their past campaigns.

The committee took no action against McCain but said he used poor judgment in his association with Keating. Despite the controversy, McCain is heavily favored to win reelection. But Sargent vowed to make “integrity and change” key themes of her campaign.

In other primaries Tuesday, House members in Arizona and Alaska who were implicated in the chamber’s check-writing scandal survived stiff challenges.

In Arizona, Republican Rep. John J. Rhodes III barely won nomination to a fourth term in the seat held for 30 years by his father, John Rhodes Jr.

“We knew it was going to be close, we just didn’t think it was going to be this close,” he said. With 98% of precincts reporting, Rhodes had 33% to 30% for state Rep. Stan Barnes. Three other candidates split the rest.

And Alaska’s only congressman, Republican Don Young, defeated a foe who focused on the fact that the incumbent had written a number of bad checks.

Also Tuesday, Utah voters nominated Republican Robert Bennett, a businessman, and Democratic Rep. Wayne Owens for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Jake Garn.