Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas was the top vote getter in the city’s primary election on Tuesday, but his close margin of victory means he could be in for a fight in November as he seeks a fourth term in office.
The matchup is set between Gatsas and Joyce Craig, a veteran alderman who, if elected, would be the city’s first female mayor.
The Republican Gatsas beat Craig, a Democrat, by about 5 percentage points.
But the Democratic vote was split between Craig and another prominent candidate — and CRAIG pointed out that most voters on Tuesday chose someone other than Gatsas.
"The majority of voters in Manchester voted for change tonight," Craig said. "It’s time for a new mayor and I want to be that mayor. We beat Ted outright in his own ward, and I think that says a lot."
Gatsas meanwhile that noted that Craig only narrowly won in his ward, and he won handily in most of the others.
"We’re very excited. We won 10 or 12 wards," Gatsas said. "It was a good win, and we look forward to starting a campaign tomorrow and making sure we have given voters a chance to differentiate between myself and Alderman Craig, so they have a true difference in what they want to lead this city forward."
Turnout in the election was above 20 percent, nearly double what it was in 2013, something that might bode well for Craig on election day Nov. 3.