Team Owner Wins Wisconsin Primary

Milwaukee Bucks basketball team owner Herbert Kohl defeated former Wisconsin Gov. Anthony S. Earl in a Democratic primary Tuesday for the seat of retiring Sen. William Proxmire. State Sen. Susan Engeleiter won the Republican race.

With 84% of precincts reporting, Kohl had 217,568 votes, or 46%, and Earl had 179,603 votes, or 38%.

In other results of primary voting in six states, Vermont’s moderate Republican Rep. James Jeffords fended off a conservative challenger for the nomination to succeed Sen. Robert T. Stafford, and in neighboring New Hampshire, Rep. Judd Gregg easily won a Republican primary for governor.

Jeffords, whose frequent opposition to President Reagan’s policies angered fellow Republicans, defeated newcomer Michael Griffes for the right to face Democrat William Gray, a former U.S. attorney who had no primary opposition.

Gregg will face unopposed Democratic nominee Paul McEachern, a lawyer who is an outspoken foe of the Seabrook nuclear power plant. Gov. John H. Sununu decided not to seek a record fourth term this year.

In Minnesota, Republican Sen. Dave Durenberger and Democratic Atty. Gen. Hubert H. Humphrey III breezed past primary challengers for Senate nominations.

Primaries also were held in Arizona, where more than a dozen Republican legislators who voted to impeach or convict Evan Mecham last spring were challenged by candidates loyal to the ousted governor, and in Utah, where Democrat Robert Stringham held a narrow lead over Craig Oliver for the nomination to oppose Republican Rep. Howard Nielson.