DENVER -- Pete Coors and Ken Salazar coasted to easy victories in Tuesday's primaries, and will battle it out for the U.S. Senate seat in the fall.

Video

Coors, Salazar Savor Primary Victories

Click Here For Complete Election Results.

Brewery magnate Pete Coors defeated former Rep. Bob Schaffer 61 percent to 39 percent for the Republican nomination. Attorney General Salazar garnered 73 percent of the Democratic vote, while educator Mike Miles had just 27 percent.

Coors and Salazar will vie for the seat held by retiring GOP Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in a race being closely watched by national parties as they battle for control of the Senate.

"People recognize that I care about every single county, every single community, no matter how large or small. I look forward to a dynamic campaign with Pete Coors," Salazar said.

Coors, 57, a political novice, said the Senate has 57 lawyers and does not need another one. "I've said all along the Senate needs more people with business experience," he said.

Democrats believe Colorado represents a golden opportunity to gain a seat in the Senate, which the Republicans control with a 51-48 majority. National Democrats also are hoping Salazar wins to attract Hispanics to the polls, possibly giving presidential candidate John Kerry a boost in November.

The real fireworks in the race have been on the Republican side, where conservatives loyal to Schaffer funded ads ridiculing Coors' support of a lower drinking age. They also tried to link him to homosexual causes, an apparent reference to the fact that Coors Brewing Co. extended benefits to same-sex partners of its workers and promoted its beer in gay bars while Coors was an executive at his family's company.

Coors said he supports a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and he fought back by accusing Schaffer of padding his business experience on his resume. He contends lowering the drinking age would teach responsibility at a younger age.

Video

Miles And Schaffer Thank Supporters

Political experts say the race could be among the most expensive in Colorado history, with the two major parties expected to spend some $6 million each by Nov. 2. Salazar has raised the most money in the race, $2.9 million, compared with $2.2 million for Coors, $769,000 for Schaffer and $321,367 for Miles.

State officials had no early estimate of turnout, but it was expected to be heavy because of the high-profile Senate race.

U.S. House Races

Salazar's older brother, John, had no opposition for the party's nomination in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, though his Republican opponent remained unclear Wednesday.

Five Republicans sought the nomination to succeed six-term GOP Rep. Scott McInnis and face Salazar. Former Department of Natural Resources director Greg Walcher and Matt Smith were almost tied in that race. With all precincts reporting early Wednesday, Walcher had 15,381 votes, or 32 percent. State Rep. Matt Smith had 15,106 votes, or 31 percent. Walcher claimed victory, but Smith said it was too close to offer a concession.

The final tally from the 29 counties in the nation's seventh-largest district apparently includes all absentee and early votes, but an unknown number provisional votes remained uncounted. Those ballots -- cast when a voter's eligibility is in question at the polling place -- are by state law counted in the days following the election.

That could take up to 12 days, secretary of state spokeswoman Lisa Doran said Wednesday.

Even then, the tally could be close enough to trigger a recount. State law mandates a recount if the margin is one-half percent or less of the leading candidate's total.

In the 2nd District, the race was between Michael Kennedy and Stephen Hackman to face Democratic Rep. Mark Udall this fall. Hackman garnered 52 percent of the vote to Kennedy's 48 percent. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave won the Republican nomination easily with 78 percent of the vote in the 4th District and Rep. Joel Hefley got 84 percent of the vote to Mike Payton's 16 percent in the 5th District.

In Denver, voter interest was also fueled by a three-way Democratic race for district attorney Mitch Morrissy won the race with 45 percent of the vote. A proposed ban on exotic animal acts in circuses was soundly defeated. That proposal, Initiative 100, was rejected by voters 71 percent to 29 percent.

Denver Elections Commission spokesman Alan McBeth said roughly 25,000 ballots were cast in absentee and early voting, close to the total 26,930 votes cast in the 2000 primary, also a presidential year.

Democrats must now gain 12 seats to win control of the House after last week's switch of a Louisiana lawmaker to the Republican Party.