Burton turns back primary challenge

By KEN de la BASTIDE
Tribune enterprise editor

May 07, 2008 12:26 am

— Incumbent Republican Dan Burton turned back his first primary challenge in several years in seeking a 14th term in the U.S. House in Indiana’s 5th District.
As of 10:15 p.m. Tuesday, Burton was getting 54 percent districtwide compared to 43 percent for challenger John McGoff and 3 percent for Clayton Alfred.
In Howard County, Burton carried the county, receiving 3,284 votes to McGoff’s 999 and Alfred with 158.
On the Democratic side, Mary Etta Ruley was receiving 44 percent of the district vote as compared to 30 percent for Kenny Stall and 26 percent for Chester Kelsey.
Ruley carried Howard County with 3,526 or 41 percent of the vote to Stall’s 3,072 votes or 36 percent and Kelsey’s 2,017 votes which is 23 percent of the vote.
Puckett to challenge Donnelly
With the support of the Republican Party in the 2nd Congressional District, businessman Luke Puckett was declared victorious and will challenge incumbent Democrat Joe Donnelly in November’s general election.
Puckett was receiving 48 percent of the vote as of 10 p.m. Tuesday, with 15,307 to Joe Roush’s 11,312 and Tony Zirkle’s 4,993.
Roush led in Howard County with 646 votes followed by Zirkle’s 437 and Puckett’s 397 votes.
In accepting the party’s nomination, Puckett said Americans agree on the majority of issues from gas prices to the economy, national security and health care.
“What our current leadership in Washington lacks is the vision, the courage, and the leadership to demand common sense solutions to the challenges facing us today,” he said.