Primaries a mixed bag for lawyers.

Attorneys were in 11 primary contests for state Senate and House seats on August 31, with the attorneys prevailing in four of those races.

Three more finished second in multicandidate primaries, but since the legislature decided there would be no runoffs this year (as it did in 2002), it was a winner-take-all primary. In three of the races, attorneys unsuccessfully challenged incumbent legislators.

Two of the attorney races were in the Senate, and nine were for House seats.

For the Senate, in District 19 attorney and incumbent Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, beat a primary challenge from Geraldine Thompson, 59.6 to 40.4 percent. He faces Republican Franklin Cardona in November, the only one of five lawyer incumbent senators up for election this year who faces a major party opponent.

In District 39, attorney Ron Saunders lost his bid to oust incumbent Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami. Bullard got 45.4 percent, Saunders 39.7 percent, and a third candidate received 14.9 percent.

In House races:

* In District 25, attorney Larry Metz finished second in a five-way Republican party, getting 29.1 percent of the vote to victor Alan Hays' 34.9 percent.

* In District 31, attorney Richard Whittington was unsuccessful in his challenge to incumbent Rep. Mitch Needelman, R-Palm Bay, 75.7 to 24.3 percent.

* In District 39, attorney Tiffany Moore polled 39 percent as one of two challengers to incumbent Rep. Bruce Antone, D-Orlando, who got 51.8 percent of the vote.

* In District 46, attorney John Stewart was defeated in the Republican primary by John Legg, 54.2 to 45.8 percent.

* In District 47, attorney and incumbent Rep. Kevin Ambler...