PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) --A contentious Democratic primary in the race to replace Patrick Kennedy in Congress wore down to an end Tuesday, as voters from Woonsocket to Newport made their choices from four candidates.
Turnout appeared to be light in several communities, including in Providence, home to two of the candidates -- Mayor David Cicilline and state Rep. David Segal. Former Democratic Party Chairman Bill Lynch, of Pawtucket, and businessman Anthony Gemma, of Lincoln, rounded out the field.
Kennedy announced in February he would not seek a ninth term to represent the 1st Congressional District.
Cicilline is the best-known and best-funded candidate in the race, having raised more than $1.3 million, about three times the amount of his nearest Democratic rival moneywise, Gemma.
On the Republican side, state Rep. John Loughlin, of Tiverton, faces Kara Russo, although she has not raised the money needed to mount a serious campaign.
Voters said the economy was foremost on their minds. Rhode Island has consistently had one of the worst unemployment rates in the country, at 11.9 percent in July.
Mimo Gordon Riley, a painter who lives in Providence, said it's been difficult to make a living as an artist during the downturn and said she was worried about the economy.
"I don't know who can do anything about that," she said after casting her ballot in the Democratic primary. "It's a tough time."
The Democratic candidates have bombarded the airwaves with TV ads in recent days, and Cicilline has run ads for weeks touting his accomplishments as mayor and focusing on jobs and the elderly. More recently, Gemma launched TV and radio attack ads on Cicilline's record, and Lynch and Segal have criticized him for the state of the city's schools and for his handling of a city program designed to provide job opportunities for residents.
Cicilline acknowledged last week that he was overpaid by thousands of dollars because of a mistake by the city payroll department. He said he didn't notice the discrepancy because his paycheck went down by more than $100 because of an increase in his health insurance copay.
He said he paid the city back about $28,000. But his opponents said it indicated he was out of touch.
Gemma himself was criticized after The Providence Journal reported his family plumbing company, Gem Plumbing and Heating, was cited for 32 labor violations from 2006 until Gemma stepped down as the company's head in early 2008. The number was later reduced to six over the objection of the chief inspector.
Lynch questioned whether Gemma got special treatment because he gave a $1,000 campaign contribution to Republican Gov. Don Carcieri, but Gemma said there was no special treatment.