McC, Rubio, Debbie win
Incumbent Sens. John McCain and Marco Rubio along with Florida Rep. and ex-DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz all handily won their parties’ primaries Tuesday.
Wasserman Schultz turned back a Democratic challenge Tuesday and will likely be re-elected to a seventh term in Congress come November.
She beat law professor Tim Canova, a Bernie Sanders-backed challenger, with more than 57 percent of the vote as of early Wednesday.
It was the first time Wasserman Schultz, a native of Forest Hills, Queens, had faced a primary opponent in her heavily Democratic suburban Fort Lauderdale district.
Canova had raised about $3.3 million, an extraordinary amount for a primary challenger with no political experience.
The incumbent raised $3 million and got additional backing from a political-action committee.
Wasserman Schultz was hampered by her forced resignation as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee after leaked e-mails seemed to show the party was in the tank for Hillary Clinton, infuriating supporters of Vermont Sen. Sanders.
Also in Florida, Rubio earned the support of the Sunshine State’s GOP voters to seek a second term, a decision he made at the last minute after his failed presidential bid.
Rubio beat millionaire developer Carlos Beruff, the only major GOP candidate to stay in the race after Rubio decided to run for re-election two days before the deadline to get on the ballot.
Rubio will now face US Rep. Patrick Murphy, who defeated liberal firebrand Rep. Alan Grayson.
And in Arizona, McCain beat back a challenge from a Republican Tea Party activist to win the right to seek a sixth Senate term in November.
The 2008 GOP presidential nominee easily defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and two other Republicans.
He faces a tough Democratic challenge in November from Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick.
McCain, who turned 80 on Monday, had been campaigning hard, rallying campaign workers and making get-out-thevote stops in keeping his vow not to take the primary for granted.