Bush, Clinton Take Midwest Primaries

Both losers offered Clinton their congratulation, a polite touch in an increasingly bitter campaign. Both had would vowed in advance that they would continue their battles to overtake Clinton.

Brown had enraged Clinton by accusing him of funneling Arkansas state business to his wife's Little Rock law firm, and their angry dispute came up in post-primary interviews.

Clinton said in a CNN interview that he'd known Brown for years, since both were governors. "A lot of people thought he was a pain in the you-know-what," said. "But I always sort of liked him."

Brown said he wouldn't wait until the Democratic convention "to start raising hell. I'm going to start raising hell tomorrow morning."

At a Chicago victory rally, Clinton sounded as anti-Washington theme, telling supporters that the people who voted for him, voted for change. "They have voted to go beyond the politics of both in Washington," he said.

"Bush, Bush, Bush," is how Clinton deputy campaign manager George Stephanopoulos answered when asked about Clinton's focus in the coming primaries in Connecticut, Kansas, Wisconsin and New York.

Tsongas, in Harvard, Conn., for a head start on next Tuesday's primary, said that if losing builds character, he has enough now and "we have to start winning for a change."

Brown was in Madison, Wis., where he told supporters that he is determined to represent the unrepresented and "to work real change, however long it takes me, and that's my commitment."

Bush's victories ran the president's primary streak to 16 and 0. A Buchanan aide said the challenger would announce on Wednesday that he is scaling back his daily campaign but intends to remain a candidate and will concentrate on the June 2 presidential primary in California.

Michigan returns from 75 percent of the precincts gave 46 percent, Brown 28, Tsongas 18. In Illinois, with 55 percent reporting, Clinton had 51 percent, Tsongas 26 percent and Brown 15.

In the Michigan GOP primary where Buchanan had made his stand, Bush had 67 percent of the vote, Buchanan 25 percent. In Illinois, Bush had 76 percent and Buchanan 23 percent.

Votes for undecided or for minor or dropout candidates accounted for the balance of the Among them was former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, getting 3 percent of the Republican vote in Michigan.

Bush said the outcome "pushed the delegate count to a level where my nomination is virtually assured," and added in a written statement, "I will seek the support of everyone who believes that we can change America as we changed the world."

Bush was winning 142 delegates in the two states, Buchanan none.

That raised the Bush count to 711 of the 1,105 it will take to settle the Republican nomination.

Angela Buchanan said her brother's campaign would stop running negative television advertisements against Bush. And, while Buchanan intends to campaign through the California primary, there will be a "change in focus," she said.

Network-commissioned polls of voters in the two primary states showed Clinton running strong among back voters in Illinois and blue collar workers in Michigan. Brown reportedly ran slightly behind Clinton among union workers in Michigan, but well ahead of Tsongas.

NBC said exit polls showed about 30 percent of the voters in both sates said they disapproved of Bush's performance in office. In earlier primaries, the Republican protest vote had been running at or above that percentage; this week it dwindled.

Illinois was awarding 164 Democratic nominating votes and Clinton led for.

107, Tsongas 46 and Brown 11. in Michigan, 131 delegates were at stake and Clinton led for 71, Brown 37 and Tsongas 23.

Going in, Clinton had 766.25 delegates in his column, 36 percent of the majority needed for the nomination. Tsongas trailed with 346.25, Brown had 81.25, and 421.75 were uncommitted.