In this past Tuesday's primary election, citizens selected city candidates to join the state senate, representative and governor candidates on the Nov. 7 election ballot.

Although some candidates came away Tuesday night with overwhelming victories, the races for city council and state representatives remained close.

Because Ann Arbor is primarily democratic, the winners of the democratic primary in the city are expected to win in the November election.

In the mayoral race, incumbent John Hieftje won a majority of the votes and will serve another six-year term in office. Hieftje won more than two-thirds of the vote to defeat current Ward 5 City Councilwoman Wendy Woods.

"I will continue to work on the Green Energy Plan, bringing rail transportation to Ann Arbor, balancing the budget and protecting human services funding," Hieftje said.

Rebekah Warren won the democratic nomination for the 53rd District State Representative, which includes most of Ann Arbor.

She defeated Ward 3 City Councilman Leigh Greden by roughly 2,000 votes.

"I feel that my 13-year experience in Lansing resonated most with the public because they really liked the idea that I will be able to hit the ground running as representative," Warren said.

The city council race - contested only in Wards 1, 3 and 5 - attracted fewer voters to the polls, with each vote significantly impacting the results of the election.

In Ward 1, Ronald Suarez will take Jon Roberts' seat, which Roberts assumed last winter.

"Even though I am elected from a ward, I feel like I represent people across the city," Suarez said.

He said he will go against the status quo and give citizens a voice in city politics.

In Ward 3, Stephen Kunselman won a tight three-way race by just 29 votes. Kunselman said he was the only candidate to take a strong position against the Allen Creek Greenway Project, which will establish a public park around a private railroad near Main Street.

Despite his opposition to the divisive project, Kunselman said he is optimistic that the third ward will unite behind him.

"Though the vote was close, there were many similarities between me and the other candidates," he said.

Incumbent Ward 5 councilmember Chris Easthope won a bid for another term in office.

With fewer than a 15-percent voter turnout in the election, most citizens did not make it out to the polls.

"Between the students gone and homeowners on vacation, August is probably the worst month of the year for voter turnout," Suarez said.

Although turnout was low, some nominees pointed out that this is normal for a primary election.

"We are satisfied with the vote," Warren said, adding that compared to past August elections, with fewer than 10 percent of the city's constituents showing up at the polls, there was a decent turnout this year.

In addition to focusing on their own campaigns, city politicians are encouraging voters to participate in November's state election.

"I will be working hard for the Granholm and Stabenow campaign," Hieftje said.

He said that because the state election receives more coverage on television, voters will be more informed about the candidates than during the primary elections.

Both Hieftje and Warren said they will specifically target University students to register for the state elections.

"It is important to register students in September when they first get to campus and convince them of the importance of voting," Hieftje said.