Indiana’s Lugar loses; NC passes gay-marriage ban


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A sign displays a message opposed to gay marriage in front of the Devon Park United Methodist Church polling site Tuesday in Wilmington, N.C. The measure to amend the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman passed overwhelmingly.

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Six-term Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar was routed by the right flank of his own Republican Party on Tuesday night, and North Carolina voters decided overwhelmingly to strengthen their state’s gay-marriage ban — a conservative show of enthusiasm and strength six months before the nation chooses between Democratic President Barack Obama and GOP foe Mitt Romney.

Romney swept three Republican primaries, moving ever closer to sealing his nomination.

“I have no regrets about running for re-election, even if doing so can be a very daunting task,” the 80-year-old Lugar said as he conceded to the tea party-backed GOP opponent who ended his nearly four- decade career in the Senate. Lugar’s foe, state Treasurer Richard Mourdock, had painted the Republican senator as too moderate for the conservative state.

North Carolinians voted to amend their state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman, effectively outlawing gay unions.

Also Tuesday, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett won the Democratic primary in Wisconsin’s historic recall election, emerging from a field of three Democrats to face Republican Gov. Scott Walker next month.

Barrett’s win sets up a June 5 rematch of the 2010 governor’s race in what will be the culmination of an effort to oust the first-term Republican that officially began more than six months ago.

The recall, triggered by the collection of more than 900,000 petition signatures, was spurred by anger over Walker’s proposal passed last year taking collective- bargaining rights from public workers.

The contests overshadowed Romney’s continued progress toward the GOP presidential nomination. He won the GOP presidential primaries in Indiana, North Carolina and West Virginia, drawing close to the 1,144 delegates he needs to clinch the nomination. He was likely to win 100 or so delegates of the 288 he still needed.