BARR LOSES TO FELLOW GOP LINDER

ATLANTA (AP) -- Republican Bob Barr of Georgia was bounced out of
Congress by fellow Rep. John Linder on Tuesday after a fierce primary
battle forced by redistricting. Another Georgia firebrand, Democratic
Rep. Cynthia McKinney, trailed her primary challenger.

With 68 percent of precincts reporting, Linder had 40,476 votes, or 68
percent; Barr had 18,662 votes, or 32 percent.

Barr, the fiery maverick who led the House impeachment of President
Clinton, became the seventh House incumbent ousted in a primary this
year. Linder is expected to win a sixth term this fall.

McKinney fell behind Denise Majette, a Yale-educated former judge who
tried to capitalize on criticism of the incumbent's outspoken views on
the Middle East and the war on terrorism.

With 45 percent of precincts reporting, Majette had 31,006 votes, or
66 percent, and McKinney had 16,153 votes, or 34 percent.

Georgia voters also chose GOP nominees for Senate and governor and the
top candidates for four open House seats. In Wyoming, five Republicans
and four Democrats battled for the nominations to succeed term-limited
GOP Gov. Jim Geringer.

Rep. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia defeated two opponents in the GOP
Senate primary and will face freshman Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, who
was unopposed. Chambliss ran with the backing of the White House.

A runoff was expected in the three-way GOP race to challenge
first-term Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, a Democrat.

With 64 percent of precincts reporting, former state Sen. Sonny Perdue
had 52 percent of the vote, state schools superintendent Linda
Schrenko had 28 percent and former Cobb County commissioner Bill Byrne
had 21 percent. If no one gets more than half the vote, the top two
finishers will face off Sept. 10.

On a busy primary day, the races involving Barr and McKinney grabbed
the most attention. Like Linder, the winner of the McKinney-Majette
battle is expected to be elected this fall.

Barr and Linder had offered voters in the 7th District a stark choice
in style, if not substance. Both men back tax cuts, gun rights and a
ban on abortion, but their approaches could not be more different.

The blunt-spoken Barr, 53, was first elected in the GOP landslide of
1994. He was the first to call for Clinton's impeachment over the
Monica Lewinsky affair and polished his maverick imaged by questioning
the Bush administration's expanded law enforcement efforts to combat
terrorism.

Linder, 59, a former fund-raiser for Newt Gingrich, is a quiet policy
wonk who told voters the most effective lawmakers don't show up on
talk shows every night -- a clear dig at his opponent.

The real fireworks were in the 4th District, where McKinney surprised
even fellow Democrats by suggesting the Bush administration had
ignored warnings about Sept. 11 and the president's big business
allies have benefited from the war on terrorism.

McKinney, a single mother and former college professor first elected
to Congress in 1992, also said she would have accepted a Saudi
prince's $10 million check for Sept. 11 victims. The check was
rejected by New York officials after the prince suggested U.S.
policies toward the Mideast were partly to blame for the attacks.

Middle East politics played an unlikely role in the race. McKinney
drew campaign financing from out of state, including money from
pro-Arab groups, while Jewish groups helped fund Majette's campaign.

The race echoed the Alabama primary this year that cost Democratic
Rep. Earl Hilliard his job. Hilliard received support from Arab groups
after supporting a Palestinian state, while his young opponent had the
backing of pro-Israel groups.

The 47-year-old McKinney and the 46-year-old Majette are both black
and the incumbent had expected to draw most of the black vote. But
Majette attracted support from Republicans, who are allowed to vote in
the Democratic race under the state's open primary.

Congressmen already ousted this year include Democrats Hilliard, Gary
Condit of California, Frank Mascara of Pennsylvania and Tom Sawyer of
Ohio. Rep. Lynn Rivers, D-Mich., Mascara and GOP Rep. Brian Kerns of
Indiana all lost to fellow incumbents in primary races forced by
redistricting.

In Wyoming, freshman GOP Sen. Mike Enzi easily won his primary and
will face Democrat Joyce Corcoran this fall. The state's other
high-profile race featured political newcomer Ron Akin battling
investment broker John Swett for the Democratic nomination to
challenge four-term GOP Rep. Barbara Cubin.