Meanwhile, in other primary races . . .

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina's lieutenant governor easily won the Democratic primary for governor Tuesday, while in Indiana, an architect had a slight edge over a former congresswoman in the race to challenge Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels in November.

In Indiana, with 89 percent of precincts reporting, architect Jim Schellinger and former Congresswoman Jill Long Thompson each had about 50 percent of the vote in the Democratic contest to challenge Daniels.

In North Carolina, Democratic Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue cruised to victory over state Treasurer Richard Moore after a $16 million fight to replace Democratic Gov. Mike Easley.

Also in North Carolina, Republican Congressman Walter Jones, who pushed to bring "freedom fries" to the U.S. House cafeteria in a symbolic protest of French opposition to the Iraq war, withstood a challenge from Joe McLaughlin.

On the Republican side of the North Carolina gubernatorial race, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory beat four candidates.

Five of Indiana's nine U.S. House members also faced primaries. Republican Rep. Dan Burton, the state's longest-serving congressman, fended off a challenge from John McGoff. The other big race was in the 7th District, where new Democratic Rep. Andre Carson bested seven challengers as he sought to retain the seat he won in a March special election. He will face Republican Jon Elrod in November.

Huffington: McCain voted against Bush

LOS ANGELES — A report by liberal blogger and author Arianna Huffington that John McCain had admitted to not voting for George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential race spurred a minor tempest and brought angry denials from McCain's campaign Tuesday.

On her Huffington Post Web site Monday, she reported that McCain had confided at a 2001 dinner that he had not voted for Bush.

McCain adviser Mark Salter rejected Huffington's assertion as "totally false."

Another woman who attended the 2001 dinner said Tuesday that Cindy McCain told her that she could not bring herself to vote for Bush. The source said she did not want to be identified.

Louisiana Dem takes over GOP seat

WASHINGTON — Don Cazayoux became Louisiana's newest Democratic congressman Tuesday as Democrats celebrated their capture of a longtime Republican seat in the South.

The swearing-in of Cazayoux means Louisiana's 6th District has a Democratic congressman for the first time in three decades. The seat opened up when longtime incumbent Republican Richard Baker resigned to take a lobbying position.

Republican Steve Scalise won the state's other vacant House seat in the 1st District. That position came open when Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal resigned to run for his current office. Scalise will be sworn in later, officials said.

Bomb scares empty 3 Obama offices

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Authorities evacuated and searched three Barack Obama campaign offices in Indiana on Tuesday in response to bomb threats.

The threats were made in a call to a Terre Haute television station. Lewis Robinson of the Secret Service said the caller alluded to Obama offices in Terre Haute, Vincennes and Evansville.

ALSO

Hillary Rodham Clinton is scheduled to appear Thursday night at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Central Point, Ore.

Seattle Times news services