Moore seizes ticket slow with Democrats

State Sen. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) of the 4th Senate District will face Republican Gerald Boyle Jr., a defense attorney in Milwaukee, in the race for the 4th U.S. Congressional District seat in the Nov. 2 general election.

Moore and Boyle claimed prominent spots in their respective party's tickets in Tuesday's primary.

Remaining in the race are independent candidate Tim Johnson, an adjunct professor of theology at Marquette, and Constitution Party candidate Colin Hudson, an anti-abortion activist.

Moore's win was a great victory for the people of Milwaukee, said Josh Orton, spokesman for Moore's campaign.

"The next step is to unite all Democrats in Wisconsin as we move toward Nov. 2," Orton said.

Boyle accredited his win to hard work.

"The voters saw it, even though I was predicted as the underdog," he said. "People recognized my background and voted for me."

Boyle's win elevates the race to a national scale, increasing opportunity for more attention, he said. He said his next step is to "court the Republican National Party and other organizations to support me."

Business owner Tim Michels defeated car dealership owner Russ Darrow, State Sen. Bob Welch (R-Marion) of the 14th Senate District, attorney Robert Lorge and Marc Gumz in the race for the U.S. Senate, pitting him against incumbent Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) in the general election.

Libertarian Arif Khan and Independent Eugene Hem also remain on the ballot.

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992, will be facing Republican Tim Michels, co-owner and vice-president of Michels Corporation, in the Nov. 2 election for his Senate seat.

Michels' win will not change the focus of Feingold's campaign, said John Kraus, Feingold's spokesman.

"We will continue to run a positive grassroots campaign focused on the issues that matter to people in Wisconsin," Kraus said. "We hope Mr. Michels will join us in supporting these issues. It is time he lets the people of Wisconsin know where he stands on these issues."

Issues include health care return, jobs in the economy, fiscal help and the war on terror while protecting people's freedom, Kraus said.

Michels did not return a phone call for comment.

In the 1st Congressional district Democratic race, Jeffrey Thomas, a retired orthopedic surgeon, defeated Chet Bell, adjunct assistant professor of performing arts at Marquette.

Thomas will face Republican incumbent Paul Ryan, who has held the seat since 1998, in the general election.

"I'm obviously disappointed by the results," Bell said, "but I had a lot of fun and met a lot of great people while campaigning. I have no regrets."

A surprise defeat came in the Republican primary for the 20th Senate District seat in southeastern Wisconsin. State Senate majority leader and favorite Mary Panzer lost to State Rep. Glenn Grothman by a nearly four-to-one margin.