While no Seattle City Council incumbents received a majority of primary votes counted through yesterday, that doesn't mean November's general election will be a repeat of 2003 — when three incumbents were ousted.

This year's contests lack the hot issues that drove voter unrest two years ago. Then, Seattle residents appeared angry about soaring electricity rates and a campaign-contribution scandal known as Strippergate.

Incumbents are also doing slightly better this year. The four incumbents on the 2003 primary ballot collectively averaged 37 percent of the vote; the three incumbents this year are at 43 percent.

"I don't see 2003 here. The fingerprints are different," said Councilman Nick Licata, who did not face a primary challenge, but will square off against real-estate broker Paul Bascomb in the general election.

Based on incomplete returns, it appears Councilman Richard Conlin will face Port Commissioner Paige Miller, Council President Jan Drago will battle former journalist and mayoral aide Casey Corr, and Councilman Richard McIver will defend his seat against King County Councilman Dwight Pelz.

What gives challengers hope is that none of the three incumbents in contested primaries received 50 percent or more of the votes counted through yesterday. That leads challengers to say most voters want change.

Still, beating an incumbent in November remains daunting, particularly for Corr and Miller. They emerge from the primary with double-digit deficits in their attempts to unseat incumbents.

Corr's task seems especially difficult. He starts with a sizable disadvantage, trailing by 17 percent in primary votes. He's also made Drago's support for the monorail his main issue, but his former boss, Mayor Greg Nickels, gave Drago a boost on that front last week.

Reversing her earlier position, Drago joined Nickels last week in saying that Seattle voters should decide the monorail's future in November. In turn, the mayor issued a statement praising Drago's oversight of the project — which Corr has repeatedly criticized, saying she was blind to the agency's mounting problems.

"Jan Drago has shown fiscal accountability, integrity and leadership in handling of the monorail," Nickels said.

Corr said he disagreed with the mayor's assessment of Drago and predicted voters would, too. "I don't think it passes the smell test," he said. "But I'm glad she came around to my position."

Primary results show voters want someone other than Drago, he maintains.

Miller trailed Conlin by 12 percent in yesterday's results and her campaign has $18,000 compared to Conlin's $75,000. Conlin, a longtime monorail skeptic, also might benefit if a question about scuttling the monorail appears on the November ballot.

Miller's campaign consultant, Michael Grossman, said Miller was hurt in the primary by the other challenger in the race, Darlene Madenwald, who cut into Miller's support from female voters and voters who were unhappy with Conlin. Grossman said Miller would work hard to reach Madenwald's supporters with a message that Conlin has waffled on transportation issues, including the monorail.

The contest for McIver's seat appears the most competitive at this point. McIver received 38 percent of votes tallied so far, while Pelz had 33 percent. Robert Rosencrantz, the third candidate in the race, had 29 percent.

In the next seven weeks, Pelz said, his campaign will focus on the council's apparent lack of monorail oversight and on voter discontent. Pelz, who is more liberal than McIver, also hopes to appeal to younger, more-progressive voters who tend to skip primaries but turn out in general elections.

McIver said he will run on his record and contends that he has a better shot than Pelz at picking up Rosencrantz supporters. "I have demonstrated fiscal responsibility and I believe in social justice and that I can be a voice for all of Seattle," said the two-term incumbent.

Bob Young: byoung@seattletimes.com