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Republican voters in the southeastern U.S. state of Georgia have rejected conservative political activist Ralph Reed in his bid for the post of lieutenant governor.

Reed was defeated by state Senator Casey Cagle in Tuesday's primary elections. He was seeking his first elective office after years as a strategist for conservative Republican causes, most notably the Christian Coalition.

His campaign was damaged when reports surfaced that he had accepted more than $5 million in fees from Native American tribes with ties to disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Abramoff has pleaded guilty in connection with a federal investigation into official corruption. Reed has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing.

Representative Cynthia McKinney is heading into a runoff election with her Democratic rival in her bid for re-election in Georgia. McKinney generated controversy when she struck a Capitol Hill policeman in March. The policeman stopped her when she tried to enter an office building without going through a security checkpoint.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.