Political newcomer Tyller Williamson holds a strong lead for Monterey City Council.

Tyller Williamson had some highs and lows in his first run for public office. He reflects on one week, in which he was on the verge of tears during a grilling at the endorsement interview for the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. “It was absolutely horrible for me,” he says.

But the next day was a high: He attended a Planned Parenthood event and heard an inspiring speaker. “It was my kind of language, what I needed to hear.”

You’d never know about the low points on election night, where Williamson’s supporters are treating him like a celebrity on the back patio of Carbone’s as they line up for congratulatory hugs and photo ops. There are neighbors and young people and political newcomers, as well as some Democratic Party shotcallers—Vinz Koller, Spencer Critchley, Alan Haffa—lining up for their turn. As Koller, a former Democratic Party chair, steps up for his photo op against a backdrop of campaign signs, Koller says, “It’s like the Oscars.”

Early returns showed Williamson in a healthy first-place lead, a longshot for a newcomer challenging two incumbents—Ed Smith and Timothy Barrett—for their seats. As of 10pm, he had 33 percent of the vote to Smith’s second-place 31 percent and Barrett’s 28 percent. Terrell Maddox, who goes by Maddox Haberdasher, was trailing in fourth place with less than 9 percent of the vote.

“I think people are just ready for something new, something fresh,” Williamson says.

Not so when it came to the contest for Monterey mayor, where incumbent Clyde Roberson held a lead of 71 percent, with 3,927 votes, over challenger Bill McCrone, a former planning commissioner, with 1,571 votes. (Both McCrone and Roberson were watching election results roll in at home; same for Barrett and Maddox.)

Smith held a party at Cafe Fina on Fisherman’s Wharf, where supporters mingled with a full bar and assortment of fried seafood, including shrimp, calamari and crab cakes.

Holding a glass of Merlot, Smith said he’d enjoyed election season, and could think of no negatives. “I’m a very positive person,” he says. “I’ve had fun in the campaign.”

Looking up at his friends and supporters, he said the vibe permeated the room: “My crowd’s always in a good mood. There’s no rain.”

The mood stilled a bit when Smith switched a TV in the corner from Fox to KSBW, the local news station. As he read the early vote-by-mail results—Williamson in first, Smith in second, Barrett trailing in third—there were stayed murmurs of “wow” in the crowd, but no applause.

When Smith got to Measure S—a 1-cent sales tax extension for eight years, which requires two-thirds to pass—there was more enthusiasm. It had more than 81 percent of the vote; there was some applause.

Just before those results were read off, three Cal Am employees, all wearing "No on J" T-shirts, walked into the party.

Garry Hofer, vice president of California operations for Cal Am, was in town from Southern California for the election, and was feeling confident. "I'm the optimist," he said. "I just feel confident. I don't think the measure makes sense. Cal Am has been a partner in this community."

A moment later, the first results were live from the Monterey County Elections Department, and Hofer passed around a smartphone to Kevin Tilden and Catherine Stedman, also of Cal Am.

They were silent, then Tilden said, "We'll see what happens at 10pm. It'll be interesting."

As of 10pm, Measure J was still leading with 55 percent of the vote.