MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Republican Gov. Scott Walker has easily defeated token opposition in a GOP primary in a recall election that has become a nationally watched battle over union rights.
Preliminary results from Tuesday's primary show Walker beat protester Arthur Kohl-Riggs with 96 percent of the vote.
The general election is June 5. Walker is only the third governor in U.S. history to face a recall election.
Kohl-Riggs ran as a Republican, even though he has protested against Walker and his initiatives for months. Kohl-Riggs says he was running as a progressive Republican in the spirit of Abraham Lincoln.
Kohl-Riggs had no money and even less name recognition, while Walker is a national conservative hero who is shattering fundraising records as he fights to keep his job.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-05-08-12 2014CDT