PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Secretary of State Charlie Summers has beaten five Republicans to win the GOP primary for the seat being vacated by Sen. Olympia Snowe.

Unofficial results show Summers won the chance to face Democratic primary winner Cynthia Dill and former two-term Gov. Angus King in November. King is running as an independent, as are several other candidates.

Summers missed most of his last political campaign because he was in Iraq with the Navy Reserves.

He says his top priorities are to cut spending and to reduce the national debt. He supports the balanced budget amendment, line-item veto and repeal of President Barack Obama’s health care reform.

Snowe, a Republican, announced in February that she wouldn’t seek a fourth term, citing partisan polarization and political gridlock in the Senate.