WALTHAM, MA — The three candidates who entered Tuesday with an eye toward being the next mayor of Waltham are now down to two: Mayor Jeannette McCarthy and Councilor Diane LeBlanc will face off on the November ballot after beating Melissa Downes in the preliminary mayoral election.

Voters from Wards 1, 2 and 9 on Tuesday also winnowed the field of City Council candidates from three to two. The city released the unofficial preliminary election results just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.



Of the 34,232 registered voters, 6,429 - or roughly 19 percent - cast ballots to decide who will be on the November ballot. By way of context: There are more than 62,000 people living in Waltham. "We are excited to be moving forward to the general election," LeBlanc told Patch. "Grateful to the people of Waltham for joining me in a conversation about the important issues."

Still, if the preliminary was any indicator, she may have her work cut out for her. McCarthy took 3,977 votes to LeBlanc's 2,050. Downes only pulled in 344.



McCarthy is finishing out her 16th year as mayor. If she wins the Nov. 5 election, she'll be the longest-serving mayor in recent memory. Earlier this year, she indicated she planned to run after sending a memo last year indicating that she would not. LeBlanc is campaigning on bringing change to the city in the face of that.



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