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Mourdock Beats Lugar by Wide Margin in Indiana Senate Primary

Six-term Indiana Senator Richard Lugar won't be returning to Washington for a seventh term. Republican State Treasurer Richard Mourdock defeated Lugar in Tuesday's Indiana Republican Senate primary. With 95% of the vote counted, Mourdock was leading Lugar 60% to 40%.

Mourdock's victory will be interpreted by many political analysts as another big win for the Tea Party, which rallied early on around Mourdock as the more conservative alternative to Lugar, who gained a reputation for working with both parties in the Senate.

Indiana Democrats were also rooting for Mourdock, who they view as much more beatable in the November general election. Democrats Tuesday nominated Rep. Joe Donnelly as their Senate candidate, who ran unopposed.

Kevin is the News Director at WKU Public Radio. He has been with the station since 1999, and was previously the Assistant News Director, and also served as local host of Morning Edition.