Taunton Metropolis Councilor Kelly Dooner, a Republican, declared victory Tuesday evening over Raynham Selectman Joe Pacheco for a Massachusetts Senate seat that has lengthy been held by Democrats however shifted purple after the 2021 redistricting course of.
Dooner is ready to develop the variety of Republicans within the Senate, the place conservatives have a super-minority caucus. The projected win additionally arms a lift to the Massachusetts Republican Get together, which for months has been touting its capability to search out successful candidates for native races.
A marketing campaign spokesperson for Dooner advised the Herald she declared victory simply after midnight.
Outcomes from the Related Press final up to date simply after midnight confirmed Dooner main with 14,998 votes in comparison with Pacheco’s 11,950. Greater than 28% of precincts have been reporting on the time.
In an announcement to the Herald shortly after midnight, Pacheco, who has no relation to outgoing Sen. Marc Pacheco of Taunton, mentioned Rehoboth had not but returned its outcomes and “we’re taking the night and we’ll see where we are at tomorrow.”
“Every vote deserves to be counted,” he mentioned
MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale mentioned immigration was a high problem within the race that doubtless satisfied voters to again Dooner.
“Taunton has been hit hard by the immigration crisis,” Carnevale advised the Herald. “A number of their hotels have been home to the so-called new residents under the Healey administration. And so I think that the potential flip there in that state Senate seat is really a reflection of the unchecked immigration policies on Beacon Hill.”
The race for the Senate seat, which stretches from Seekonk to Marion, heated up earlier this yr after Marc Pacheco introduced he wouldn’t search reelection following 31 years within the Senate.
Marc Pacheco is the Senate’s longest-serving member and is thought for his work on local weather change, the service privatization regulation named after him, and prolonged flooring speeches. His choice in February to forgo one other time period was a part of a development of veteran lawmakers bowing out of the Legislature.
In a social media submit on the time, he mentioned his departure from Beacon Hill didn’t shut the door on different public service.
“While I am proud of all the work we have accomplished, much still needs to be done,” he mentioned. “I look forward to working with my colleagues and everyone who is interested in making Massachusetts a better place to live; and while I am unsure what the future will bring, the door is always open for new and exciting opportunities.”
Joe Pacheco, who has received election to the Raynham Selectboard six instances, has centered his marketing campaign partially on the Steward Health Care chapter, which threw into limbo the destiny of Morton Hospital in Taunton. The ability has since been acquired by Windfall-based Lifespan Health System.
He has additionally touted the endorsement of each public security union within the state in addition to the backing of U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, U.S. Rep. Invoice Keating of Bourne, and Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat who has lent her political clout to native races throughout Massachusetts.
Dooner was the youngest girl elected to the Taunton Metropolis Council in 2021 and moved to the town simply over a decade in the past after rising up in Randolph. She has centered on the excessive value of operating shelters housing native and migrant households and the state’s right-to-shelter regulation.
Gov. Maura Healey’s administration mentioned it expects to spend greater than $1 billion in every of the subsequent a number of fiscal years on the emergency shelter system housing migrants and native households.
Former Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, endorsed Dooner final month, arguing she “has the vision, the energy, and the experience to make a positive difference.”
Each candidates have every raised and spent greater than $100,000 this yr, in response to state marketing campaign finance filings final up to date Oct. 31.
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