by Rick Winterson
For an election that took place in a so-called “Off Year”, and was a Primary Election as well, the turnout was fairly strong at 25% of registered voters. Part of this was the action (or reaction) generated by the current climate in Washington. Another part was due to the high interest in certain campaigns run in Massachusetts and Boston.
Both Congressman Steve Lynch and State Senator Nick Collins qualified for re-nomination handily (Nick was unopposed; Steve garnered 70+% of votes cast). Steve’s years of experience – both domestic and foreign – along with his flexible, moderate approach make him well-suited to continue representing us. Nick is a hardworking, loyal Senator at the state level. Governor’s Council incumbent Christopher Ianella bested South Boston’s Mark Rooney in that primary race. Local resident Michael Donovan will be the Democratic nominee for Clerk of Court (Civil) in November’s General Election, an office he has held for more than 40 years.
The local race to fill the State Representative seat in Suffolk District 4, left open when Nick Collins became our State Senator, attracted two solid candidates – David Biele and Matt Rusteika. David took that primary race by a decisive 57%. It was refreshing to see two young, competent candidates step up and conduct positive, energetic campaigns.
Governor Baker bested Scott Lively by a landslide (65-35) in the Republican Primary. He will face Democrat Jay Gonzalez in November. Secretary of State William Galvin also won his Primary over Josh Zakim by a landslide margin – 67 to 33. Perhaps unexpectedly, Rachael Rollins won the Primary for Suffolk County District Attorney, over four other candidates who also were well qualified. She received a significant 40% of the primary votes cast.
The Primary Election in Boston and Massachusetts had some interesting contests. The biggest headliner was Ayanna Pressley’s (decisive) win over Michael Capuano for his Congressional seat. After 98% of the vote was in, the Third Congressional District’s race between Dan Koh and Lori Trahan appears to be headed for a recount. Local State Reps. Byron Rushing and Jeff Sanchez both lost their bids for re-nomination. Geoff Diehl (R), a Trump supporter, will take on U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is anything but a Trump supporter, in the General Election.
A desire for change was certainly in the air. While many races ended up as predicted, several new faces were winners. As a final comment, endorsements and fancy ads were obviously ineffective campaign tools. TV exposure and social media mentions were useless. Good, old-fashioned radio was the election medium that successfully reached more than nine (9) out of ten (10) voters.
See you at the General Elections on November 6.
