D.C. Ex-Mayor Barry in Stunning Victory : Primaries: Candidate overcomes cocaine conviction to win Democratic nomination. Vote splits capital along racial, economic lines.

In a startling political comeback that could have national repercussions, Marion Barry on Tuesday overcame a highly publicized conviction and imprisonment for smoking crack cocaine to win the Democratic nomination for mayor.

Barry, who mobilized younger and poorer black voters around his theme of redemption, defeated City Councilman John Ray and the incumbent mayor, Sharon Pratt Kelly, in a hard-fought race.

With 100% of the vote counted, Barry had 48%, Ray had 37% and Kelly trailed badly with only 13% of the electorate. Four other candidates accounted for the rest of the vote.

Barry recalled the “Amazing Grace” hymn to supporters: “I was lost, but now am found.” He also said, “We, the people of Washington, D.C., moved many mountains . . . . The people of Washington have decided for themselves who they want to lead them.”

While the Democratic nomination here traditionally provides an overwhelming advantage in the November election, Barry will be opposed in the fall balloting by William Lightfoot, an independent member of the City Council who could provide a strong challenge.

Republicans, badly outnumbered in the district, nominated Carol Schwartz, who got 38% of the vote against Barry in a 1986 race.

Barry, who served six months in federal prison after he was convicted of drug use in an FBI sting in 1990, was reelected to the City Council two years ago. His popularity stemmed from his participation in the civil rights struggles of the 1960s and his 12 years as mayor.

The election appeared to split the nation’s capital along racial and economic lines, with the more affluent white and black neighborhoods voting heavily for Ray or Kelly while the poorest areas favored Barry by wide margins.

In other elections on the busiest primary day of the season, voters in nine states chose candidates for the November election. Highlights:

* New York. Democratic Gov. Mario M. Cuomo easily won renomination, along with Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Republican George Pataki, easily overcoming minor opposition, was expected to be a tough Republican opponent for Cuomo, while Bernadette Castro won the right to challenge the heavily favored Moynihan.

* Rhode Island. State Sen. Myrth York defeated Gov. Bruce Sundlun in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, while former U.S. Atty. Lincoln Almond won the Republican race to oppose her. Patrick Kennedy, son of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), easily won the Democratic nomination for a congressional seat.

* Maryland. Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) defeated token opposition to win renomination in his party primary. Parris Glendenning, a county executive in the Washington suburbs, won the nomination for governor and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy, won the Democratic nod for the lieutenant governor’s post. Conservative Republican Ellen Sauerbray apparently upset favored Rep. Helen Bentley (R-Md.) in the GOP gubernatorial primary.

In a tough Republican Senate primary, former Tennessee Sen. Bill Brock held a slim lead over Ruthann Aron.

* Minnesota. In a closely watched race, Gov. Arne Carlson easily defeated a Christian conservative opponent, Allen Quist, who received the Republican Party’s endorsement.