Rhode Island
voters stood by Republican senator Lincoln Chafee, a man
whose family name has been on the ballot for generations,
rather than take their chances with a maverick mayor
who represents a brand of conservatism unusual in this
moderate New England state.
Chafee's victory
over Cranston mayor Stephen Laffey in Tuesday's primary
bolsters Republican efforts to retain control in the U.S.
Senate after November's general election. It was one
of the nation's most closely watched races and is sure
to remain so with Chafee facing a tough challenge from
former state attorney general Sheldon Whitehouse, the
Democratic nominee.
Chafee had
angered party members by voting against the war in Iraq,
President Bush's tax cuts, and other GOP initiatives. But he
got enough support--from unaffiliated voters as
well as Republicans concerned about keeping their
party in power--to defeat Laffey.
And he got the
support of gay Republicans, who praised the moderate
senator's support for gay rights. "Sen. Lincoln
Chafee's primary win is a victory for all
fair-minded Republicans in Rhode Island and across the
country," said Patrick Sammon, executive vice
president of the gay political group Log Cabin
Republicans. "We congratulate Senator Chafee
and look forward to helping him win reelection in
November. This was a hugely important election. A
Laffey victory would've emboldened special
interest groups to target other mainstream Republicans
across America."
Sammon described
Chafee as one of Log Cabin's strongest allies in the
Senate. In addition to twice voting against the antigay
Federal Marriage Amendment, he has supported a
hate-crimes bill, the Employment Non-Discrimination
Act, and the Permanent Partners Immigration
Act. (AP contributed to this report)