Markey Wins 24 of 29 Downtown Precincts Decisively
Political pundits will be scratching their heads for weeks as they analyze the numbers and trends that propelled U.S. Senator Ed Markey – once labelled dead in the water – to a clock-cleaning victory over Congressman Joe Kennedy III.
U.S. Senator Ed Markey pulled out a big win statewide, citywide and in the downtown neighborhoods on Tuesday, Sept. 1, over Congressman Joe Kennedy III – beating Kennedy decisively in 24 of 29 precincts in the downtown.
Kennedy kicked off his campaign more than a year ago in the South End with State Rep. Jon Santiago, making big headlines as he walked Mass/Cass and then visited the South End Neighborhood Health Center. His star seemed to be rising without limit, and Markey had yet to even enter the race. But political contests are not springs, but rather long-distance runs, and Markey and his Nike shoes are never to be counted out – prevailing in the long haul.
Many of the bigger precincts showed Markey winning by more than 100 votes, like at the Frederick Douglass Apartments (4-4) in the South End where Markey won by 168 votes. Another was Tent City (4-2) where Markey won by 120. Then there was St. Cecilia’s in the Back Bay where a huge voter turnout delivered Markey a 246-vote margin. It was like that throughout the Back Bay at both precincts in the Copley Library (5-7 and 5-8) where Markey won both by more than 200 votes.
The lone area of support for Kennedy was where Rep. Santiago had campaigned for him in Worcester Square and Lower Roxbury. Kennedy won Villa Victoria as well, and tied Markey at the Hampshire House, 400 to 400.
Neither campaigned extensively in the South End or Back Bay during the heated campaign, but both did make stops in the neighborhood, with Markey visiting the South End last week on his ‘Leads and Delivers’ bus tour.
Markey pulled out the statewide win with 55 percent of the vote to Kennedy’s 44.6 percent of the vote. In Boston citywide, it was even more lopsided as Markey collected 59 percent of the vote (77,518) to Kennedy’s 40 percent (52,485).
Markey enjoyed strong support in western Massachusetts, and also on Cape Ann. Kennedy showed strength in southeast Massachusetts and central Massachusetts – as well as in Chelsea, Revere, and Lynn.
In his concession speech Tuesday night, Kennedy said his coalition will continue.
“The Senator is a good man,” he said of Markey. “You’ve never heard me say otherwise. I know it was difficult between us at times — good elections get heated — but I am grateful for our debates, for his commitment to this Commonwealth, and for the energy and enthusiasm that he brought to this race. Obviously, these results are not the ones we were hoping for…We built a campaign for the people that our politics too often locks out and leaves behind. We built a campaign for Lawrence and Chelsea and New Bedford and Roxbury and Brockton and Springfield and Lowell and Worcester. We built a campaign for working folks — of every color and creed — who carry the economic injustice of this country on their backs. This campaign’s coalition will endure.”
Unopposed Races
In several races locally, state leaders were unopposed, making for no high-profile local elections as there were two years ago.
State Rep. Jon Santiago won with 5,605 votes.
State Rep. Chynah Tyler prevailed with 3,998 votes.
State Rep. Jay Livingstone won with 4,623 votes.
State Sen. Sonia Chang Diaz won her unopposed race with 31,173 votes.
State Sen. Will Brownsberger got 14,072 votes in the Boston part of his sprawling district.
State Sen. Joe Boncore got 10,810 votes in the Boston part of his district.