WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Moderate Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee, a frequent opponent of President George W. Bush’s policies, battled for political survival against a conservative challenger on Tuesday as voters in nine states selected candidates for November’s election.

A primary election loss for Chafee in heavily Democratic Rhode Island could open the door in November for Democrats to win one of the six Republican seats they need to claim a majority in the U.S. Senate.

On the busiest primary day of the year, Maryland Democrats settled a crowded battle for a nominee to replace retiring Sen. Paul Sarbanes, while Democrats in the District of Columbia essentially picked the capital city’s next mayor.

With nominal opposition, Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York was expected to win the party’s nomination for a second Senate term in what could be a tune-up for a potential 2008 White House bid.

Scores of other contested nominations for Senate, House of Representatives and governor’s offices also will be decided in Arizona, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.

 

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