 In the Democratic primary election Leggett squared off against a former colleague from the council, Steve Silverman.Leggett and Silverman engaged in a long series of debates beginning almost a year before the election.But despite being outspent by Silverman by more than five to one, Leggett won the Democratic nomination for executive by 61.3 percent to 35.5 percent in the primary election on September 12, 2006.