New York’s upstate and Long Island 2017 primary election results

Across New York, voters cast their ballots for their picks in key primary races for mayor, county executive – and what was a potentially pivotal race for county sheriff. Here’s a rundown of the primary results of the mayoral matchups in Albany, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, the county executive contests in Nassau, Rensselaer and Westchester, and the Suffolk County sheriff’s race.

RELATED: New York City 2017 primary election results

Albany Mayor

Kathy Sheehan: 50.24%
Frank Commisso Jr.: 31.67%
Carolyn McLaughlin: 15.56%
(as of 10:53 p.m. on Tuesday with 100% reporting)

Incumbent Albany mayor Kathy Sheehan handily defeated her challengers, snagging half the Democratic primary vote, with challenger Frank Commisso Jr., a local common councilman, gathering 31 percent, and Carolyn McLaughlin, the Common Council president, picking up 15 percent.  Few expected a different result. A poll in early August estimated Sheehan had 50 percent of the vote, and that’s what she ended up with. It’s possible that Sheehan could still face Commisso in the general election in November, since he is still on the ballot for the Independence Party, but a sitting mayor has not been defeated in Albany in over 100 years.

Buffalo Mayor

Byron W. Brown: 51%
Mark J.F. Schroeder: 36%
Betty Jean Grant: 13%
(as of 11:24 p.m. Tuesday with 100% reporting)

Byron Brown emerged victorious with 51 percent of the vote. Challenger Mark J.F. Schroeder garnered 36 percent of the vote and Betty Jean Grant won 13 percent. The Buffalo mayor's race always looked like it belonged to Brown, the incumbent with three terms as mayor already in his back pocket, who was looking strong as of the last poll. An endorsement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo likely didn’t hurt him. Brown may face Schroeder in November on the Reform Party line, but with Buffalo a Democratic stronghold, Brown appears set to cruise to victory.

Rochester Mayor

Lovely Warren: 62.3%
James Sheppard: 21.76%
Rachel Barnhart: 15.73%
(as of 11:27 p.m. Tuesday with 100% reporting)

Incumbent Mayor Lovely Warren easily beat out her challengers, despite fiery allegations of corruption over her campaign's fundraising from primary challengers Rachel Barnhart, a former investigative reporter, who received 15 percent, and James Sheppard, a former police chief, who garnered 21 percent. Warren will be heavily favored to win in November against Tony Micciche, who is running on the Republican, Conservative and Reform party lines.

Syracuse Mayor

Juanita Perez Williams: 52.13%
Joseph Nicoletti: 33.98%
Martin Masterpole: 9.73%
(as of 10:56 p.m. Tuesday with 100% reporting)

Juanita Perez Williams handily defeated the competition, gathering 52 percent of the Democratic primary vote. Challenger Joseph Nicoletti had 34 percent, and Martin Masterpole had 9.5 percent. In the race for the open seat in the Syracuse mayor's office, Nicoletti and Perez Williams were practically deadlocked going into the primary, according to the only poll in the race in mid-August. Democrats make up 55 percent of registered voters in Syracuse.

Nassau County Executive

Laura Curran: 78.51%
George Maragos 21.30%
(as of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday with 100% reporting)

Laura Curran defeated her Democratic primary rival George Maragos, leading him by 48 percentage points, although Nassau County had not yet released official election results. Corruption and what each candidate would do about it dominated the debates between Nassau politicians Curran, a county legislator, and Maragos, the county comptroller. The shadow of current Republican County Executive Edward Mangano hung over the primary – he currently faces corruption charges. Curran will face Republican Jack Martins, a former state senator, in the general election.

Rensselaer County Executive

Steven McLaughlin: 53.20%
Christopher Meyer: 46.54%
(as of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday with 98.65% reporting)

Steven McLaughlin eked out a win over Christopher Meyer with 53.2 percent of the Republican primary vote and 51.49 percent of the Conservative primary vote. He will likely replace retiring County Executive Kathleen Jimino, a Republican.The colorful campaign between Meyer, a current deputy county executive, and McLaughlin, a sitting state assemblyman, was rocked this week by revelations in the Times Union that a senior McLaughlin aide alleged he assaulted her in secret recordings where McLaughlin tells her she is “fat,” “an awful human being,” and a certain c-word.

Westchester County Executive

George Latimer: 64%
Ken Jenkins: 36%
(as of 11:36 p.m. Tuesday with 79% reporting)

With nearly 80 percent of districts reporting, Democratic voters appear to have strongly favored George Latimer, anointing the state senator with 64 percent of the primary vote, as their man to oppose two-term incumbent Republican County Executive Robert Astorino in November's general election. County legislator Ken Jenkins took just 36 percent of the vote.

Suffolk County Sheriff

Larry Zacarese: 56.05%
Phil Boyle: 43.38%
(as of 11:03 p.m. Tuesday with 98.67% reporting)

Larry Zacarese beat out Phil Boyle as the man most likely to become Suffolk County sheriff after the general election vote in November. Zacarese won 56 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, spending nearly twice as much as Boyle, a state senator and the GOP’s designated candidate, who gathered 43 percent of the vote. Zacarese is heavily favored in the general election in this conservative county.