PHOENIX (AP) ? Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' hand-picked Democratic candidate won a special election Tuesday in southern Arizona to finish her term, defeating a Republican who narrowly lost to Giffords in 2010. Both the GOP and the Democrats used the race to hone and test their political arguments for the November elections, when everything from the White House on down will be on the ballot. Elsewhere Tuesday, Virginia, Maine, Nevada, Arkansas and South Carolina held primary elections ? with most of those states choosing Senate nominees ? as did North Dakota, where voters decided to let the University of North Dakota scrap its controversial nickname, the Fighting Sioux. Allen's victory set up a November clash with another former Virginia governor, Democrat Tim Kaine, in a campaign closely tied to the presidential race in a state both parties consider vital for victory. A victory would have given party leaders a chance to claim momentum five months before November and fine-tune their plan to link Democratic candidates to Obama, the incumbent at the top of the ticket. Barber, 66, had a sizable fundraising lead in late May, but spending from conservative groups helped reduce the Democratic financial edge. He called for lower taxes and more energy production as ways to improve the economy. [...] he said he would roll back federal regulations and environmental protections in an effort to boost oil and gas drilling. "Ron Barber's strong campaign made this a referendum on the Republican plans to drastically cut Medicare and privatize Social Security, while giving massive tax breaks to millionaires, big oil and corporations that ship jobs overseas," said Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "No one wanted this election to happen or to see Gabrielle Giffords step down from Congress, but Jesse ran a campaign focused on pro-growth policies that will lead to less government and a strong and vibrant economy," Sessions said.
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