A state House member and retired Wilmington police officer has won the city's Democratic mayoral primary.
Dennis P. Williams is virtually assured of becoming mayor, as no Republican is on the November ballot.
With 95 percent of precincts reporting Tuesday, Williams had 4,129 votes, or 39 percent. City Councilman Kevin Kelley had 3,084 votes, followed by Bill Montgomery, chief of staff to three-term incumbent James Baker, with 2,185 votes.
Violent crime was a central issue in the race. Wilmington is on pace to break its homicide record and was recently ranked by Parenting magazine as one of the most dangerous cities in the country.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
