Cynthia McKinney loses congressional runoff in Georgia

DECATUR, Ga. — Cynthia McKinney, the fiery Georgia congresswoman known for her conspiracy theories about the Sept. 11 attacks and the scuffle she had earlier this year with a U.S. Capitol Police officer, lost a runoff Tuesday for her district's Democratic nomination.

Attorney Hank Johnson, a former county commissioner, won the nomination with 59 percent of the vote, surpassing McKinney by more than 11,000 votes. In the heavily Democratic district, the runoff winner is likely to win in the fall.

Voters also went to the polls in Missouri, Michigan and Colorado to choose candidates for the fall elections.

McKinney, her state's first black congresswoman, has long been controversial. Her suggestion that the Bush administration had advance knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks helped galvanize opposition and she lost her seat in 2002 but won it again two years ago.

In her latest brouhaha, in March, she struck a Capitol police officer who did not recognize her and tried to stop her as she skirted a metal detector in a House office building. A grand jury in Washington declined to indict her, but she was forced to apologize before the House.

Senior Democratic leaders had declined to endorse her re-election campaign, viewing her as a polarizing figure who could hurt party chances at elections in November. She drew less than 50 percent of the vote in last month's primary.

In Michigan, Republican Rep. Joe Schwarz, a moderate who supports abortion rights, lost his district's nomination to conservative challenger Tim Walberg in a GOP primary.

In Missouri, Republican Sen. Jim Talent and Democratic challenger Claire McCaskill, the state auditor, won their party's primaries.

And in Colorado, state Sen. Doug Lamborn won the nomination to succeed 10-term Republican Rep. Joel Hefley. He faces Democrat Jay Fawcett in the fall.

In another Colorado race, attorney Ed Perlmutter won the Democratic nomination to replace Rep. Bob Beauprez, the Republican nominee for governor. Perlmutter will compete with Republican Rick O'Donnell in November. Former state Rep. Peggy Lamm took heat from Perlmutter for her willingness to forge bipartisan compromises with Republicans.

Material from The Washington Post and Reuters is included in this report.