While some of the City Council races had winners that were easy to predict, incumbent Councilor Chris Calvert didn't consider his race "a foregone conclusion."

Calvert on Tuesday bested two challengers, however, earning re-election to his second council term with 58 percent of the votes in his north-side district.

Across the board, incumbents won the races in their respective districts: In addition to Calvert's District 1 win, District 2 Councilor Rebecca Wurzburger received about 72 percent of the vote in the southeast-side contest with challenger Stefanie Beninato.

"I view it as a vote of confidence," Wurzburger, 61, said at a victory party with Mayor David Coss at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. "It's not to say we are perfect, but we can make a difference in Santa Fe ... I am very encouraged by it."

Calvert wasn't sure early in the night that he had prevailed. Shortly before the polls closed, he refused to comment on early reports that appeared to show he would win.

"I'm not that presumptuous," he said.

But later it became clear that he had enough votes to beat challenger Russell Simon, who got 27 percent of the vote, and Doug Nava, who got 16 percent.

A small group of Calvert supporters gathered for food and drinks in the Mustang Room of the Cowgirl BBQ Tuesday night, where a flat-screen television was tuned to the cable coverage at City Hall where poll results were being read.

Calvert, who discussed the low voter turnout, still expressed some uncertainty about his win.

"Maybe people thought the races were foregone conclusions and therefore didn't turn out," Calvert said. "I didn't feel that way in mine."

Calvert, 61, said he felt Tuesday's victory was a comforting indication from his constituents that they're satisfied with how he has represented them over the last four years.

"I think I've been representing the district and the city well and I think I got some validation tonight on that," Calvert said. "That's not to say there's not things that need to be worked on or things to be improved, but I think it means they think we're moving in the right direction."

For his part, Simon, a 28-year-old first-time electoral candidate, said he was disappointed in the overall results of the election, not just his race.

"We are going to wake up tomorrow and we are going to have the exact same city government that we had before, and I think that is sad," he said in a late-night interview. "I would have hoped for some change."

Simon said he would consider running again if there is a race for an open council seat, adding, "I think I have proven that you can run a good campaign with smart ideas, and if you are running against an incumbent, there is only so much you can do."

Neither District 3 Councilor Carmichael Dominguez nor District 4 Councilor Ron Trujillo, who both ran unopposed, were surprised that the incumbents swept the races.

"First of all, it's always hard to beat an incumbent," Dominguez said, "but this council, we work well together. I should say we don't always agree, but we try to work on these issues together to come up with a solution. I think that has something to do with it."

Contact Veronica Cruz at 986-3042 or vcruz@sfnewmexican.com.