(AP Photo/Alan Diaz) (Associated Press) 
 
 Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson votes along with his wife, Sue Ann Thompson in a primary election Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012, in Madison, Wis. Thompson is running against businessman Eric Hovde, state... (Associated Press) 
 
 Yoho's strong showing was the surprise of the night as four states held primaries, including Connecticut and Minnesota. Also in Florida, Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson will face Republican Connie Mack IV in November after each won handily in their respective party primaries. Tommy Thompson talks to the media after voting in a primary election Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012, in Madison, Wis. Thompson is runningagainst businessman Eric Hovde, state Assembly Speaker... (Associated Press) 
 
 An "I Voted" sticker is affixed on former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's recall win in June and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's decision to tap native son Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate. But Thompson hasn't run for a statewide office since 1998, and a key to his primary victory was pointing to his past accomplishments while assuring voters he was the same old Tommy. He also was hit with attack ads from independent groups, such as the Club for Growth, which endorsed Neumann and painted Thompson as a big spender while he was governor. The GOP sees the Senate race in Wisconsin as a pickup opportunity as they try to gain majority control from the Democrats.
– Former four-term Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson has fought off a trio of conservative challengers to win the state's GOP Senate primary. Thompson, George W. Bush's secretary of health and human services, will compete against Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin in a race that could determine control of the Senate. Thompson's rivals tried to use his history of taking moderate positions against him, but GOP voters agreed that his centrism made him the most likely to defeat Baldwin, who aims to become the first openly gay senator, notes the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In Connecticut, meanwhile, former wrestling exec Linda McMahon crushed her rival in the Republican primary, setting up a showdown with Rep. Chris Murphy for the Senate seat being vacated by Joe Lieberman. And in Florida, veteran GOP Rep. John Mica defeated freshman Rep. Sandy Adams in a race that pitted them against each other because of redistricting. Adams lost despite having the support of Sarah Palin and much of the Tea Party. And it looks like there has been an upset in another Florida race, where 12-term Rep. Cliff Stearns is trailing Tea Party challenger Ted Yoho in their Republican primary, reports the AP. Yoho, a political novice, ran an anti-incumbent campaign with one ad depicting politicians in suits eating alongside pigs in a trough.