Mississippi Gives Barbour 2nd Term; Kentucky Unseats Its GOP Governor

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R), practically the only politician to come out of Hurricane Katrina looking good, easily won reelection yesterday, but a fellow freshman governor, Kentucky's Ernie Fletcher (R), was resoundingly voted out of office.

With 80 percent of precincts reporting, Barbour had 58 percent of the vote. Democratic trial lawyer John Arthur Eaves Jr. had 42 percent.

Barbour capitalized on his successful management of Mississippi's recovery after Hurricane Katrina, stressing job growth and rebuilding along the Gulf Coast. The former chairman of the Republican National Committee and former lobbyist is widely credited with using his Capitol Hill connections to help the state collect billions of federal dollars for Katrina recovery.

Fletcher, Kentucky's first Republican governor in more than 30 years, was unseated by Steve Beshear (D), a former lieutenant governor attempting a political comeback after 20 years out of office.

With all precincts reporting, Beshear had 59 percent of the vote and Fletcher had 41 percent.

Fletcher spent much of his tenure battling accusations that he directed the hiring of political allies for jobs protected by the state's merit system.

Incumbent mayors in San Francisco, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Houston were elected to another term. In Philadelphia, former councilman Michael Nutter (D) won election to replace Mayor John F. Street, who was term-limited from running again.

The nation's lone congressional race was in northwest Ohio, where voters faced a primary election to fill the seat of Rep. Paul E. Gillmor (R). Gillmor died in September from a fall at his Arlington County townhouse.

Democrat Robin Weirauch appeared headed to the Dec. 11 general election, while on the GOP side, Bob Latta and Steve Buehrer were in a tight race. Latta is the son of Del Latta, who represented the area from 1959 to 1989.