MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Republican Kurt Bills has won his party's primary for the U.S. Senate.

Bills, the party's endorsed candidate, easily beat David Carlson and Bob Carney. He heads to a general election matchup against Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who breezed in her own primary.

Bills is a one-term state representative from the St. Paul suburb of Rosemount and a high school economics teacher. In May, he won party backing mostly by lining up support from followers of the libertarian-leaning presidential candidate Ron Paul. Like Paul, Bills supports major cuts to federal spending to reduce the federal debt and deficit.

Bills faces a tough fight against Klobuchar, who enjoys much greater name recognition and has raised millions more.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

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