DURHAM - Three incumbents on the Durham County Board of Commissioners are headed for re-election in November, according to unofficial results in Tuesday's primary.

Board Vice Chairman Michael D. Page, Chairwoman Ellen Reckhow and fellow incumbent Becky Heron were the three top vote-getters in the partisan primary.

With all but provisional ballots tallied, one-time Commissioner Joe W. Bowser, who lost a reelection bid in 2004, appeared poised to regain a spot on the five-member board.

Newcomer Brenda Howerton, a consultant, won the fifth seat.

With each candidate registered as a Democrat, the partisan primary for the board lacked the "partisan" component.

The five winners simply will proceed to the November ballot to be elected and take office in December, barring a write-in.

Each of the top five candidates received enough votes that they are not subject to a runoff challenge.

Page, one of the incumbents, watched the voter tallies from the commissioners' chambers on Main Street. He took an early lead with about 15 percent of all votes and held it.

"There are still a lot of things we have to address, but ... I really feel like people have been satisfied with my performance," Page said. "I have a heart for this community, and I think people really feel that."

Howerton watched the results nearby with her three grandchildren.

She said she thought endorsements from the People's Alliance and the Triangle Labor Council contributed to her success.

"They believed in my platform and that I was capable of working with [four] other people to produce results," she said.

Ten candidates competed for seats on the board, which governs several public services, including education, social services and public health.

Four candidates -- Reckhow, Page, Heron and newcomer Don Moffitt -- separated from the pack early in the campaign with nods from two influential political groups, the Friends of Durham and the People's Alliance.

But later endorsements from the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People also gave Bowser a push in the competition.

"I'm happy about it and worked hard for it," Bowser said Tuesday night. "I'm happy that the people have rewarded me with it."

The presence of Barack Obama at the top of the ticket -- he drew about three-quarters of all Democratic votes -- seemed to benefit all black candidates.

Among the candidates was Victoria Peterson, a self-proclaimed activist who finished seventh.

The three white candidates who were not incumbents finished at the bottom.

Moffitt, chairman of the city-county planning commission, took eighth place, followed by Josh Parker, one of the youngest candidates for the board.

Parker, 24, also ran for commissioner four years ago.

Doug Wright, who manages an ABC Store, finished last with about 4 percent of the 246,945 votes counted Tuesday.