Humphrey Wins W. Virginia; Nebraska Race is Very Tight

Senator Hubert Humphrey (D-Minn.) ran very strongly in two primary contests yesterday, decisively beating Governor George C. Wallace (D-Ala.) in West Virginia and battling Senator George McGovern (D-S.D.) to a standoff in Nebraska.

Both ABC and CBS News projected last night that Humphrey would end up receiving between 65 and 70 per cent of the preferential vote in West Virginia, with Wallace getting little more than 30 per cent.

There was as yet no indication who would win West Virginia's 35 delegates to the Democratic convention. Humphrey and McGovern had full slates of delegate candidates, with many others running uncommitted.

In Nebraska, with 20 per cent of the vote counted, Humphrey was leading the favored McGovern by a margin of 38 to 35 per cent. Wallace trailed with about 15 per cent of the vote. However, ABC projected that McGovern would escape with a narrow win in Nebraska.

As in West Virginia, it was too early to tell which candidate had won a majority of Nebraska's 24 convention delegates, elected from the state's three Congressional districts.

Humphrey's campaign in Nebraska caught fire during the past week, as McGovern desperately tried to stem charges that he is a radical who advocates the legalization of marijuana, amnesty for draft evaders, and free abortion.

The primary battles were cut short for both men by President Nixon's announcement on Monday night, as McGovern and Humphrey returned to Washington to fight Nixon's policies in the Senate.