In Photos: Triumphs and defeats on Super Tuesday

Primaries held in a dozen states Tuesday had been expected to demonstrate a powerful anti-incumbent mood in the American electorate.

But the results were mixed, as establishment candidates managed to win hard-fought races in Arkansas, California and Virginia.

Still, a tea party candidate claimed a key victory in Nevada, while in South Carolina, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis was forced into a runoff by a challenger who attacked his vote for the 2008 Wall Street bailout.

Two of politics’ larger-than-life figures managed to cast shadows on the highest-profile races: Former President Bill Clinton played an active role in Arkansas’ U.S. Senate primary runoff, campaigning hard for incumbent  Blanche Lincoln as she fought back a tough Democratic challenge from Lt. Gov. Bill Halter.

On the GOP side of the aisle, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s endorsement helped former tech executive Carly Fiorina win the  Senate primary in California and helped boost South Carolina state Rep. Nikki Haley to a runoff spot in the gubernatorial primary.

— Russ Walker is the elections editor of Yahoo! News.

ARKANSAS: Sen. Blanche Lincoln, with husband Steve at left, rejoices Tuesday in Little Rock. The incumbent eked out a surprise victory in her Democratic primary runoff against Bill Halter; she’ll face Republican U.S. Rep. John Boozman in her November re-election bid. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

ARKANSAS: Union-backed Lt. Gov. Bill Halter concedes to Lincoln in Little Rock. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

CALIFORNIA: Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman celebrates after easily defeating Steve Poizner to win the Republican nomination for governor.  (CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/Lucy Nicholson)

CALIFORNIA: Democrat Jerry Brown talks to guests at his election-night party in Los Angeles. Currently the state attorney general, he was governor from 1975 till 1983 and wants his old job again. He faces Whitman in November. (CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/Mario Anzuoni)

CALIFORNIA: U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina arrives with husband Frank at the Anaheim Hilton to celebrate her victory in the Republican primary. A move to the right helped the former Hewlett-Packard CEO defeat Tom Campbell and Chuck Devore. (David McNew/Getty Images)

CALIFORNIA: Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, shown in an April 19 file photo, will defend her seat against Fiorina in November. Republicans are on offense in scores of House and Senate races nationwide as persistent economic woes and lukewarm support for President Obama weaken Democrats’ hold on Congress. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

SOUTH CAROLINA: In May, GOP gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley campaigned in Columbia with the support former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, right. On Tuesday, Haley fell just short of the 50 percent she needed to win the primary outright; instead, she heads to a runoff. Haley’s campaign has been plagued by allegations that she had affairs with two political operatives, but Palin has stood by her endorsement of Haley, and that will probably help Haley defeat U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett in the June 22 runoff. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

NEVADA: Tea party candidate Sharron Angle speaks to supporters in Las Vegas after winning the Republican U.S. Senate primary. A burst of late-race momentum boosted the little-known Angle — welcome news to incumbent Harry Reid. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

NEVADA: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, pictured May 26, will face challenger Angle in November. The CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM casts the race as “an epic showdown between a king of Capitol Hill and a conservative renegade who wants to turn Washington on end.” (Getty Images/Alex Wong)

NEVADA: Gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid, son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, exits a Henderson polling place after voting in the Democratic primary. He won. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

NEVADA: Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Sandoval votes Tuesday with daughter Marisa, 5, and son James Sandoval in Reno. He defeated scandal-plagued Gov. Jim Gibbons and will face Rory Reid in November. (AP Photo/James Glover II)

NEVADA: A Republican shows off his fashion accessories as he waits for primary election returns in Las Vegas.  Jim Gibbons became Nevada’s first incumbent governor in a century to lose a nominating election. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

SOUTH CAROLINA: Six-term U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis visits the Corner Pocket in Greenville after the election results come in. The advantages of incumbency weren’t enough for him to turn back Spartanburg County Solicitor Trey Gowdy, who attacked Inglis’ 2008 vote for the Wall Street bailout and won a GOP primary plurality. Gowdy and Inglis head to a June 22 runoff. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro)