Voters in Kansas, Missouri pick fall candidates, too
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| Fieger and his wife, Keenie, are all smiles at an election night party in Detroit | |
DETROIT (AllPolitics, Aug. 5) -- Suicide doctor Jack Kevorkian's combative lawyer appears to be the winner in Michigan's Democratic gubernatorial primary, while in Kansas, Republican Gov. Bill Graves fended off a challenge from the right.
In Michigan, Geoffrey Fieger, who has persuaded three juries to acquit the famous suicide doctor, didn't temper his theatrics in his first run for public office. He portrayed himself as an anti-establishment protector of civil rights.
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Fieger's nearest competitor, Larry Owen, a lawyer who has courted unions and party leaders, conceded defeat Wednesday morning.
Total returns are not in yet, but with 96 percent of precincts reporting, Fieger had 271,220 votes, or 41 percent, while Owen had 249,746 votes, or 38 percent. Former U.S. Labor Department official Doug Ross had 143,723 votes, or 22 percent.
The vote count delay was due to a computer crash in Detroit.
Earlier Wednesday morning, a beaming Fieger said he was confident, but stopped short of declaring victory. The win means Fieger will face off against incumbent Republican Gov. John Engler, who won the Republican primary, in the general election.
It's 'Fieger time'
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| Kansas Gov. Bill Graves talks with a supporter during an election rally Tuesday in Topeka | |
"I apologize that we can't celebrate the full effect of Fieger time, but it is Fieger time and it's time to party," he told cheering supporters.
"Tonight you're seeing the emergence of a new political movement in the state of Michigan," Fieger said.
Engler, easily secured the nomination for a third term, winning over token opposition from Gary Artinian, a cardiologist from Bloomfield Township in suburban Detroit. Engler is considered the early favorite to win in November, given the state's strong economy and Engler's nearly two dozen tax cuts.
The 47-year-old Fieger, a wealthy, flamboyant attorney, has never held elective office. He was a successful medical malpractice attorney when was hired in 1990 by assisted-suicide crusader Kevorkian. He successfully defended Kevorkian during four trials and earned a reputation as being outspoken and tenacious.
Fieger spent more than $1 million of his own money on the campaign. He proposed reducing the sales tax to 4 percent from 6 percent and reducing property taxes by 5 percent across the board.
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| Dr. Jack Kevorkian meets the press after he arrives at a party in honor of Fieger | |
Although behind in the polls, Fieger refused to concede anything, calling Engler "a political hack who's never had a job in his life and doesn't have a singular idea in his skull."
"I find almost everyone I meet in politics ... are less than mediocre, have some personal character defect that makes them want to be a politician," Fieger said.
Fieger promised early on that Kevorkian would have no place in his administration. He emphasized that he was not personally in favor of assisted suicide or abortion, but he said he would defend access to both.
Kevorkian showed up at Fieger's election party in Detroit, saying he had voted "for the third time in my life, I think."
"He's candid and forthright," Kevorkian said. "Of all the politicians I know personally, he has more of the positive attributes."
Kansas Gov. Graves easily turns back challenge
In Kansas, Graves held a 3-to-1 advantage over former state Republican chairman David Miller in a recent poll but worried he could be hurt by low turnout among moderates. Graves spent a record $1.6 million on the campaign, largely to encourage his supporters to vote.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Graves had 220,862 votes, or 73 percent, while Miller had 82,404 votes, or 27 percent.
Graves, enjoying the fruits of a strong economy, has been able to cut taxes by $1.8 billion in his one term. Miller promised further cuts and said he would freeze state spending for a year. He opposes all abortions except to save a woman's life, while Graves supports existing abortion laws in Kansas, which restricts access to late-term abortions.
Also in Kansas, Sen. Sam Brownback, who was elected in 1996 to finish Bob Dole's term, was unopposed on Tuesday's ballot for the Republican nomination. The Democratic nominee is state Sen. Paul Feleciano, a 26-year veteran of the Legislature.
It's Bond vs. Nixon in Missouri
Primaries also were held in Missouri, where Attorney General Jay Nixon easily garnered the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by two-term Republican Kit Bond, who also won his primary.
Nixon, the top statewide vote-getter in 1996, has lost crucial support lately among blacks because of his efforts to reduce Missouri's spending on court-ordered school desegregation.
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