SUFFOLK, Va. — About two dozen people were on hand at Suffolk Mayor Mike Duman's car dealership to watch election results come in Tuesday night.
Early in the evening, Duman was behind opponent David Bosselman by as much as 20 percent, but as the night went on and votes came in the race got much closer.
According to the State Board of Elections website, with all 30 precincts reporting, as of midnight Wednesday Duman had a 68 vote lead over his closest challenger.
Watch: Suffolk mayor highlights city's growth in annual State of the City address
Duman has been mayor since being elected in 2020 but was elected to City Council in 2010.
"I wasn't nervous. I had been telling folks I kind of knew which way this election was going to go," Duman said at his watch party shortly after the celebration.
He said the race was more about issues than candidates, primarily growth in Suffolk.
Watch: How to handle growth takes hold in race to be mayor of Suffolk
He says there's no easy answer to addressing concerns about growth but he's looking forward to continuing the work that was done in his first term.
“I will continue to listen to my constituents and I will continue to do anything within my power to address those concerns," Duman emphasized. "When this night got on and the polls had closed, my thought process was if I won the race it’s great and if I lost the race it was good. I think I’m in a position to serve the citizens. Based on my experience and what have you, I think for our citizens I felt more concerned for the need to serve them than worrying about me winning an election.”
Three city council and three school board seats were also up for grabs.
Watch: Suffolk leaders delay vote on 2045 plan due to congestion concerns
City Council member and Vice mayor Lue ward was running unopposed. Early election results indicated write-in candidates had received some votes, but Ward was still in the lead with nearly 98 percent of the votes.
Incumbent City Council member LeOtis Williams was re-elected over challenger Jason Wooldridge with 56% of the votes, according to the State Board of Elections website.
Ebony Wright beat out Roger Fawcett for the Sleepy Hole Borough City Council seat by a margin of 7 percent with 53 percent of the vote.
Watch: State and business leaders break ground on the Port460 Logistics Center in Suffolk
Incumbent school board Vice Chair Heather Howell was re-elected with about 56 percent of the vote according to the State Board of Elections website.
The website had Valerie Fields as winner of the Nansemond Borough school board seat with 57 percent of the vote and Sean McGee as the winner of the Whaleyville Borough with 52 percent of the votes.
Earlier in the day, News 3 spoke to voters casting their ballots.
Aside from the presidential candidates, Xavier Allen had two topics on his mind as he headed to cast his vote.
Watch: What issues are important to Hampton Roads voters ahead of Election Day?
“Women’s rights. As somebody that has a wife, as somebody that has a daughter as well, that’s the big issue for me. Secondly, the economy. As a father, a husband, three kids at home. That’s mainly the two biggest issues," said Allen.
Bishop Staten was optimistic heading into Election Day.
“I just want the best candidate to win this election. People are republicans and democrats, you have to decide at the end of the day, but I’m a voter that wants to duo what’s best for everybody. I’m leaning certain ways, so I hope it turns out that way," Staten said.
Watch: Election-related anxiety is real, expert says; Here are some ways to help you cope
First-time voter Jahnese Campbell was excited to finally cast a vote. She said she does follow result on Election Day, but they don't influence her.
"I’m my own person," said Campbell. "Usually I don’t vote because I’m, like, ‘It doesn’t really matter.’ But as I got older, I started understanding political views a little bit more. Not as much as everybody else, but I’m starting to understand so I just wanted to be a part of the change."
