Giffords' former aide wins her House seat

PHOENIX -- Gabrielle Giffords' hand-picked House successor won Tuesday night in a special election in Arizona against the Republican Giffords narrowly beat months before she was shot. It was a hard-fought preview of the broader fall campaign to come.

Democrat Ron Barber, 66, a former Giffords aide who was seriously injured in the same rampage in which Giffords was shot last year, defeated Republican Jesse Kelly, 30, a former Marine who narrowly lost a House race to Giffords in 2010. Barber will complete the remainder of Giffords' term.

Holding onto the seat has been a priority for Democrats as they seek to regain control of the House in November. Both the GOP and the Democrats were using the race to hone and test their political arguments for the November elections, when everything from the White House on down will be on the ballot.

Republicans sought to make the contest a referendum on President Barack Obama and his handling of the economy. They argued that Barber would fall in line behind the White House.

Democrats, in turn, played to the senior vote by contending that Kelly would not protect Medicare and Social Security.

In Virginia, George Allen brushed aside three conservative Republican rivals in the Virginia primary. Allen's victory set up a November clash with another former Virginia governor, Democrat Tim Kaine, in a campaign closely tied to the presidential race in a state both parties consider vital for victory.

In North Dakota, Rep. Rick Berg defeated businessman Duane Sand in the state's Republican primary. Berg will face Democrat Heidi Heitkamp in the November race to replace retiring Sen. Kent Conrad. The election is expected to play a critical role in determining which party controls the Senate next year.

In Nevada, Republican Sen. Dean Heller and Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley easily defeated a slate of political unknowns in their respective primaries. Their fall race also will be one of the most competitive in the country.

In Maine, state Sen. Cynthia Dill won the Democratic primary in the race to succeed Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe. Maine Secretary of State Charles Summers won the GOP nomination. The front-runner, former two-term Gov. Angus King, wasn't on the ballot because he's running as an independent.