Our friends at Reason provide a solid round-up of Republican primary races that were resolved yesterday. Some good news and some bad. Anti-war Republican Walter Jones of North Carolina, subject of a sympathetic 2006 Mother Jones cover story, beat back a challenge from a pro-war candidate.
“I think more and more Republicans are starting to understand after five years that the Iraqis need to step up and take responsibility,” Jones said.
Jones retained some strong military support in his district, particularly among retired Marines and other veterans.
“We are close to the veterans and they knew it,” Jones said.
On the other hand, anti-sanity Republican Dan Burton of Indiana, subject of a scathing 2008 Mother Jones blog post, topped a Republican primary challenger by seven points, a sizable victory but a much smaller one than Burton is accustomed to in primary or general elections. For more on Burton, see this 1997 MoJo piece from deep in our archives.