Republican Paul Adams won a nail-biter of a primary for the chance to unseat incumbent state Sen. Barry Finegold this November.
Adams bested fellow Andover resident Alex Vispoli by 91 votes, according to the unofficial results reported by city and town clerks' offices on election night. Vispoli has been an Andover selectmen since 2004, while Adams was elected as an Andover state representative two years ago.
Adams collected 2,648 votes to Vispoli's 2557 in the communities of Andover, Lawrence, Dracut and Tewksbury.
Vispoli drew significant support from Andover, where both candidates live. Vispoli collected 1,267 votes to Adams' 754.
But Adams carried each of the other communities.
Adams proved strong in Dracut earning 848 votes to Vispoli's 534, according to the Dracut town clerk's office. The Tewksbury clerk's office reported that Adams bested Vispoli in Tewksbury 678-404.
The closest race was in Lawrence, where Adams received 368 votes to Vispoli's 352.

OTHER RACES
There were a handful of other races on some Andover ballots.
Democrats could vote for their pick for Governor's Council and Register of Deeds.
Incumbent Register of Deeds and Andover resident Robert F. Kelley carried his hometown, collecting 66.4 percent of the Andover Democratic ballots cast. He received 757 Andover votes to M. Paul Iannuccillo's 270. But Iannuccillo carried the day overall, thanks in large part to overwhelming support in North Andover and Methuen.
In the Governor's Council race, Eileen R. Duff received 344 Andover votes, good for 30.2 percent of Andover Democrats casting a ballot. More Andover people left their ballot blank on this race than voted for any other single candidate. However, Donald Bumiller received 21.1 percent of the vote, David W. Eppley 15.5 percent and George T. O'Brine 6.7 percent of the votes cast in Andover.
For more on the election, see the Sept. 13 print edition of the Andover Townsman.
