DEARBORN — Attorney Gene Hunt and City Council President Susan Dabaja will be advancing to the Nov. 8 general election in their bids to become a 19th District Court judge, following the primary results on Tuesday.

On Tuesday’s primary election, Hunt came in first place, with 6,865 votes (50 percent), while Dabaja came in second with 4,172 votes (30 percent).

UAW Legal Attorney Abbie Bazzi came in third place with 2,688 votes (20 percent). She will not be advancing to the general election.

Appearing surprised at his victory party, Hunt thanked his many supporters.

“I was absolutely astounded and amazed, not just by the election results but by all the people that came out to help me,” Hunt said. “I had no idea I had so many friends and so many supporters. It really is astounding to me. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.”

The competition has been a heated one, with negative campaigning casting a dark cloud over the race in recent weeks.

Mailers were distributed to Dearborn residents highlighting Hunt’s work as a long-time, city-appointed criminal defense attorney.  These mailers claimed he helped sex offenders, rapists and drug dealers do less time in prison. 

Hunt with his wife Carol and daughter Lauren.

“I didn’t handle any of those cases,” Hunt told The AANews, debunking the mailer. “One guy said I represented him on a sexual criminal conduct case. I never represented anybody on any cases like that.” 

Hunt sent a letter to residents informing them that he condemned all forms of smear attacks and that his campaign is not affiliated with any of the material attacking his opponents.

Hunt noted he hasn’t figured out who distributed the mailers, but said that it “backfired.”

“I worked hard and I ran a clean campaign and it paid off,” Hunt said. “I’m going to continue talking about myself, knocking on doors and I’m going to keep my head down and my feet  moving.” 

Meanwhile, Dabaja also had road bumps along the way. In July, an anonymous group called “Dearborn Underground” released a video noting that Dabaja’s husband, Majid Hammoud, pled guilty to federal conspiracy charges for his role in a cigarette smuggling ring.

Tensions between the Dabaja and Bazzi campaigns caused a great deal of controversy in the local Arab community and reached a boiling point in the days leading up to the election.

At her after-party at the LaPita Restaurant in Dearborn, Dabaja said voters rejected the rhetoric that attempted to derail her campaign.

“This is only the beginning,” Dabaja said. “And we have a hard road for us ahead in November. I look forward to a campaign void of negative attacks, innuendos, slanderous comments and statements, lies and disgusting behavior. Hopefully we are done with it.”

Hunt and Dabaja are vying for the seat being vacated by William Hultgren, whose six-year term wraps at the end of the year.

The winner will join Chief Judge Sam Salamey and Judge Mark Somers on the bench.

Dabaja, who still has one year remaining in her city council term, would be replaced by Councilman Thomas Tafelski as president if she were to win. Tafelski had previously served as Council president from 2007 to 2013.

If Dabaja were to exit the seven-member Council, Patrick Melton, the eighth highest vote getter in the 2013 election, would subsequently earn a seat. 

Dabaja ended her speech at her campaign gathering by highlighting the male-dominated Dearborn court.

“Together, we will elect only the second female in history to be a judge at the 19th District Court,” she told a cheering crowd of supporters.