Detroit (WWJ)  -- Holding a slim lead with results still coming in, incumbent Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick declared victory early Wednesday morning before cheering supporters at the International Banquet Center in downtown Detroit.

With 96% of the precincts counted,  the mother of Detroit's mayor, seized a 1,300 vote lead in a congressional primary election driven by a City Hall scandal involving her son.

Kilpatrick declared victory before cheering supporters shortly before 1 a.m.  "A close race, down to the wire, only one winner. Thanks. I accept,'' she said.

Former state Rep. Mary Waters said the race was still too close to call and declined to concede.  "This was a David versus Goliath type of campaign,'' Waters said before heading home early Wednesday morning.

After trailing in early returns, Kilpatrick overtook Waters with the help of voters in Detroit, her political base. With 96 percent of precincts reporting, Kilpatrick had 39 percent and Waters had 36 percent. State Sen. Martha Scott was in third place with 25 percent.

Kilpatrick, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, was forced into the bruising primary in the aftermath of felony charges against her son, Kwame Kilpatrick.

The mayor is charged along with his former top aide with perjury and other charges connected to their testimony in a whistle-blowers' trial last year. They denied having a romantic relationship, but text messages emerged in January that contradicted those claims. They're also accused of lying about their roles in the firing of a police official. Both deny the charges.

Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, elected in 1996, has easily won re-election in past elections, but the mayor's case has taken its toll.

Polls last week showed the congresswoman locked in a tight race against Waters, while Scott narrowly trailed the two candidates.

Kilpatrick has highlighted her work on the House Appropriations Committee, where she has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for the state.

Waters, of Detroit, repeatedly criticized Kilpatrick for defending her son and argued that the congresswoman had become unresponsive to the district. She promised to be more accessible to constituents.

"Many people do believe that they deserve better,'' Waters said.  "Let's just see if it was enough of them.''

Scott, a former mayor of Highland Park, said she would be an improvement upon Kilpatrick on pocketbook issues such as health care and jobs. She said focusing on the scandal would do little to help improve struggling parts of Detroit.

The winner of the primary will be heavily favored to win the congressional seat against Republican Edward Gubics of Wyandotte.

The big issue in western Wayne County was the annexation involving 414 acres of land where the old Northville Psychiatric Hospital sits at Seven Mile and Haggerty roads.
 
Voters in Livonia rejected the annexation of land from Northville Township. 

Developers want to put in a half-billion dollar retail and residential development and will work with the township administration to gain approval for the project.

Click here for election results from Wayne County.

Click here for election results from Oakland County.

In Macomb County: 
-Voters in New Haven voted to recall Village president Brett Harris, the clerk and four trustees who supported a 400-thousand dollar water main project. 

-A millage renewal for parks and recreation departments in Bruce Township was approved. 

-Voters from the Lake Shore school district approved a 9.7 million dollar bond issue for building improvements.

Click here for election results from Macomb County.

Click here for primary election results from Livingston County.

Click here for primary results from Washtenaw County.