Bill Delahunt felt sure that several precincts that represented his base of support had too many discarded ballots. He went to court and, in what has become a landmark case, a recount was ordered that required any markings on the ballot that were an indication of intent to be considered votes. When the slow court-ordered recount finally was finished, Bill Delahunt had won by 108 votes. A judge had reviewed 900 ballots over the space of a little over a week. Primary elections for the House often swing on these small margins.
Turnouts often hover below a third.
This is, however, one of the lesser problems with primary elections. The answer, looking at the facts on the ground, is no. There never was a chance. This is the real problem. A general election, almost by its nature, will be fought between a few people.