So close: Clement leads Gallo by six votes

“I have to see the results before I answer that,” said Gallo. “I have to think about things and talk with my volunteers and the Working Families Party.

For Republicans, the end was somewhat less dramatic. Freshman Alderwoman Andi Turco-Levin, the party-endorsed candidate, came in first with 228 votes. Running a close second was Ward 6 Alderman Ron Polacco, who ran an intensive door-to-door campaign, garnered 207 votes. Richard Cahill Jr., a former alderman and Republican Committee chairman who ran an unsuccessful campaign for mayor in 2007, took just 97 votes. Jean Jacobs, who failed to win any votes at the party’s June nominating convention, fared little better this time winning just 17 votes.

“We’re going to have to work our ass off!” apparent Republican mayoral nominee Andi Turco-Levin declared after a narrow primary win over two opponents on Tuesday night.

Party turnout was reasonably robust with almost 25 percent of registered Republicans casting votes, but her opponents tallied 320 votes to Turco’s 228. Democratic turnout was 26.7 percent. Primaries usually draw between 15 and 20 percent.

“Kingston needs a whole new set of rules,” Turco-Levin declared to cheering supporters at her headquarters at Broadway and St. James Street. “This city deserves every single ounce of our energy.”

Cahill holds the Conservative Party line and has said that he will actively campaign on it come November. In the event that Gallo loses the Democratic Primary, that could set up a chaotic four-way race with Turco-Levin on the Republican line, Cahill running as a Conservative, Clement as a Democrat and Gallo holding the Independence and Conservative ballot lines.

Democratic Party voters also decided primaries in two ward races. In Ward 9, party-endorsed candidate Mark Halwick Jr. fell to challenger John Simek by a 103-94 margin. Simek will face Republican challenger Deborah Brown in November. In Ward 5 party favorite Bill Carey beat out former Town of Ulster Supervisor Nicky Woerner 98-62. Carey will run in a three-way race with Working Families candidate Janai McDonough and Republican Craig Johnson.

With additional reporting by Hugh Reynolds and Carrie Jones Ross