AP, CNN Report: Blanche Lincoln Wins AR Primary, But Not By Enough To Avoid Run-Off Vote

With 41% of precincts in, MSNBC and CNN are reporting that Arkansas Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln is still leading her opponent, Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter, but not by enough to win decisively. As per Arkansas electoral law, it appears Lincoln will be forced into a run-off election against Halter for the nomination.

The AP is projecting that the run-off will happen, with Reuters and NPR, using CNN’s numbers, following suit. We’ll have more complete numbers as the media reports them. Many pollsters predicted the run-off beforehand as Lincoln was considered vulnerable due to being both an incumbent and a centrist Democrat who tends to have problems in primaries.

The MSNBC report puts the numbers at 44%-42% for Lincoln, with third candidate D.C. Morrison at 14%. Lincoln would need 50% to avoid the run-off vote.

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