This year’s City Council race was supposed to be a yawner.

And judging by the results, it was. In an uncontroversial election season, all nine incumbents reclaimed their seats last Tuesday.

But early Wednesday morning at The Count—the biannual Cambridge tradition where votes are tallied and winners are named—a 26-year-old dark horse candidate seemed to have turned conventional wisdom on its head.

Matt S. DeBergalis, a young MIT grad who campaigned door-to-door in Cambridge’s dormitories and promised to give the city’s college students a voice in local politics, had outpaced two incumbents in early returns of so-called “number one” votes.

The incumbent councillors rose to their positions through traditional avenues for Cambridge politicians. Some come from families with a tradition of involvement in Cambridge politics. Several served terms on the School Committee before moving to the council. Others did behind-the-scenes work in politics before deciding to run for office themselves.

And DeBergalis—a native of Indiana who went to high school in Puerto Rico and writes software for a living—does not fit the mold.

DeBergalis, who won more first-place votes than two of the sitting councillors, campaigned on a platform of student-centered issues, promising later hours for restaurants and more late-night transportation options. He launched a voter registration drive on the city’s campuses, challenging the conventional wisdom that the college students who live here nine months out of the year are not a major factor in city politics.

“I’ve been watching Cambridge politics closely for 35 years. Never did I see this coming,” says Glenn S. Koocher ’71, former host of “Cambridge Inside Out,” a local political television program. “There’ve been a lot of students who have run over the years. This is the first time anyone came close to legitimately threatening the incumbents.”

While DeBergalis’s ability to get out the student vote set Cambridge political pundits abuzz, the election results also showed another, subtler shift in city politics—the rise of neighborhood activists who made their names sitting on committees and fighting developers.

Three candidates who rose to prominence in their neighborhoods fared well in this election—but none well enough to unseat an incumbent.

Even though January will usher in a new council identical to the current one, some say last week’s election may represent a change in Cambridge’s political landscape—but it is too soon to tell whether this year’s trends are a one-time phenomenon or a permanent shift.

Student Takeover?

After the first round of ballots were counted, DeBergalis received the eighth highest total of first-place votes, beating incumbents E. Denise Simmons and David P. Maher.

He ultimately finished in tenth place, 137 votes away from a spot on the Council.

DeBergalis’ student-centered campaign engaged a constituency long ignored by establishment Cambridge pols.