[Guest post by DRJ]

Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina held primaries in three Senate races today. In Ohio’s Democratic primary:

“Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher has won his state’s Democratic Senate primary, though it wasn’t quite resounding.

Despite polls that showed him leading by between 17 and 20 points in the final days of the campaign, Fisher led Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner 55.5-44.5 with 53 percent of precincts reporting. Fisher vastly outspent Brunner, but he comes away from the primary with only a modest win.”

Fisher will face Republican Rob Portman. Polls show them in a dead heat in the race to replace retiring GOP Senator George Voinovich.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina, GOP Senator Richard Burr easily won his primary but his Democratic opponents face a runoff:

“With 100 percent of the vote counted, [Elaine] Marshall won 36 percent of the vote, short of the 40 percent needed to avoid a runoff. [Cal] Cunningham, the candidate backed by much of the party’s leadership, had 27 percent, and Lewis got 17 percent.

In a speech to supporters in Lexington about 10:30 p.m., Cunningham said he believed he would defeat Marshall in a runoff vote.”

Finally, former Senator Dan Coats won Indiana’s GOP primary:

“This fall, Coats — who was recruited by the National Republican Senatorial Committee — will face Democrat Brad Ellsworth, whose nomination is assured. The candidates are seeking the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh.

Coats, 66, retired from the Senate in 1998, has worked as a lobbyist and was U.S. ambassador to Germany under President George W. Bush. He overcame spirited challenges from four, including state Sen. Marlin Stutzman, a tea party favorite who was endorsed by South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, and former Rep. John Hostettler, who had the support of one-time presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas.

Democrats quickly piled on, calling Coats a “deeply flawed candidate” and casting him as a Washington insider beholden to special interests.”

Turnout was reportedly “exceptionally light in [the] Ohio and North Carolina” Democratic primaries, but the “Republican turnout in the [Indiana] Senate primary was the highest this decade, including presidential election years.” Nevertheless, AP reporters Liz Sidoti and Deanna Martin aren’t sure what to make of this, noting “it’s difficult to draw concrete conclusions …”

Let me try, AP: Incumbents weren’t punished as much as Tea Partiers and others hoped. And GOP turnout is promising but Democratic turnout looks bleak for November.

— DRJ