The primary race for Bainbridge Island’s South Ward went as many expected during Kitsap County’s Primary Election Tuesday, as Roger Townsend and Dee McComb advanced to November’s ballot.

Townsend outran his opponent and took 58 percent of the vote for the Bainbridge Island City Council’s Position 3 South Ward seat.

McComb received roughly 31 percent.

“Obviously, I’m pleased with the result,” Townsend said Tuesday evening. “I’m glad to have gotten so much support.”

“I think it’s a sign that having a message of consensus and reasonable good governance is supported by the South Ward,” he added. “But it’s early and there’s lots of work to be done.”

McComb is also looking ahead to the South Ward race in the coming months. She trailed Townsend by nearly half the vote on Tuesday.

“It just means I have a lot of work in front of me,” McComb said.

“We’re going to be more aggressive in terms of the campaign and getting the word out,” she said. “I think I have not done as much as I could have along those lines. My focus will be to get out there to raise more awareness.”

McComb noted that Townsend has been active in the race early on, which could account for his lead.

“My percentage reflects not as much of a campaign push as Roger Townsend has done,” McComb said. “He’s had a very organized campaign up until this point.”

Tuesday’s race featured two engaged candidates. The third candidate on the ballot, Bob Bosserman, bowed out from the race in May and shifted his support to Townsend.

Bosserman’s exit, however, was too late for county election officials, and his name remained on the primary ballot.

Despite both candidates spreading the word of Bosserman’s exit, he received 116 votes Tuesday, or roughly 10 percent.

With Bosserman throwing his support to Townsend, his 10 percent may prove beneficial for the candidate come November.

“I think it should help,” Townsend said.

Though the Primary Election featured only two active candidates, it offered a limited glimpse of how the race may finish in November. Only South Ward voters were eligible to vote in Tuesday’s primary, while voters from across Bainbridge Island will vote in November.

Townsend received 683 votes in Tuesday’s primary. McComb received 359 votes.

McComb and Townsend have taken part in one campaign event so far; a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters in July. The forum raised a mix of hot button issues that have crossed the council’s dais in recent years, such as police department policies, the Shoreline Master Program, and the management of the city’s utilities.

McComb said during the July forum that she viewed the Shoreline Master Program as a major concern for the south islanders. Townsend emphasized growth in the region as a major issue.

Eleven votes were cast for write-in candidates, accounting for less than 1 percent of Tuesday’s results.

A total of 1,169 voters in the South Ward took part in the primary election.

The South Ward seat is currently held by Councilwoman Kirsten Hytopoulos, who decided not to run again this election.