Patriot Ledger By Mary Whitfill
Several countywide primary races were still too close to call Wednesday afternoon as several South Shore clerks continued to count early, in-person and mail-in ballots that have streamed into town offices for the last month.
As of 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, results still weren’t available from the Norfolk County town of Franklin, nor Hingham or Carver in Plymouth County.
Calls and emails to the Franklin Town Clerk’s office went unanswered, and town hall has not yet reopened since it closed due to the coronavirus in March. A walk-up window is open to residents, but the woman staffing the window Wednesday did not have any election information.
A three-way race in the Democratic primary for Norfolk County Sheriff has Patrick McDermott, the current Norfolk County register of probate, in the lead by 611 votes. As of 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, McDermott had 47,074 votes; former Quincy Mayor Bill Phelan had 46,463 and James Coughlin, a former State Police detective captain, had 42,964.
That count does not include results from Franklin, which could easily shift the election outcome. In March, more than 4,000 Franklin Democrats voted in the presidential primary. We will continue to update this story as results they are reported.
Quincy voters chose former Mayor Bill Phelan to be the Democratic sheriff candidate. He earned 8,457 votes to McDermott’s 7,932 and Coughlin’s 2,527. Braintree and Weymouth voters favored McDermott, and voters in the towns of Needham, Norfolk and Dedham favored Coughlin.
he winner will run against Republican Jerry McDermott, the current sheriff, in the general election.
A five-way open race for the Norfolk County Register of Probate Democratic candidate is also tight, but it appears Colleen Brierley will be victorious. With all but Franklin reporting, Brierley has racked up 36,270 votes across Norfolk County.
Brierley, a lawyer, has operated a private practice in Norwood for 22 years and helped found a nonprofit called Journey to Parenthood, which helps with the cost of fertility treatments and adoption. She said expanding the Lawyer for the Day program would be important to her, because so many people enter probate court without an attorney.
“Barring any surprises, I’m beyond thrilled,” she said Wednesday afternoon. “My whole goal is to make the court as accessible as possible.”
Michael Walsh, Westwood Select Board member and attorney, had 32,892 votes as of Wednesday morning. Quincy City Councilor Noel DiBona had 29,795 votes, Quincy School Committee Member Kathy Hubley had 22,726 and Courtney Madden had 12,376
There will be no Republican challenger on the ticket come November, giving Brierley a clear path to victory.
Brad Croall, an eight-year Quincy city councilor lost the Democratic primary for Norfolk County Treasurer to former sheriff Michael Bellotti. Bellotti had 83,742 votes as of Wednesday afternoon to Croall’s 50,493. No Republican candidate will be on the ballot in November.
It was a well-fought race and Brad Croall was a real class act,” Bellotti said Wednesday. “I look forward to facing the challenges that confront me as treasurer and us as a county in the coming months and years as we face these unprecedented economic times.”
In races for positions in Congress and the State Legislature, incumbents reigned.
Twenty-year U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch faced a primary challenge from Democrat Robbie Goldstein, an infectious disease doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital. By 11 p.m. Tuesday, Lynch was declared the winner. At the time, 27 percent of the district’s precincts were reporting and Lynch had a lead of 40,229 to 19,511 over his opponent.
“I am extremely grateful for all of the support we received,” Lynch said in a statement on election night. “I look forward to getting back to work on behalf of the families of the 8th. Our country faces unprecedented challenges and our democracy continues to be tested. It will take all of us to do the hard work ahead, to heal our country and to bring us together with a unity of purpose.”
Goldstein, an infectious disease specialist and doctor at Massachusetts General, said he’s had a front row seat to what he considers the federal government’s disastrous handling of the coronavirus pandemic. He also saw himself as a candidate who’s part of a wave of younger Democratic candidates trying to push the party toward a more progressive agenda.
“Of course, I’m disappointed in the results tonight — we poured our souls into this race, into this district, into our community, and we were hoping for a different outcome,” Golstein posted to his campaign’s Facebook pageTuesday. “The disappointment we are feeling is real, but it is temporary; the change we are pushing for will come.”
Lynch, a former iron worker and labor leader who was born and raised in South Boston, retained the seat he’s held since 2001. Lynch has pitched himself to voters as a fighter for working families.
Lynch was the big winner in Quincy, earning 13,208 votes to Goldstein’s 6,244. It was a similar story in Braintree, where Lynch scored 5,916 votes to Goldstein’s 2,109, and in Weymouth. Lynch got 8,782 votes to Goldstein’s 3,361. Across the district, Lynch earned more than 105,000 votes.
He will not face a Republican challenger in November.
Walter Timilty, who is seeking a third term in the state Senate, defeated Stoughton town meeting member Jarred Rose in the Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth District’s Democratic primary. Timilty had 24,545 votes as of Wednesday afternoon and Rose had 11,486
Timilty thanked his supporters, and pledged to keep working on behalf of every voter in the district. With the challenges facing the state due to the coronavirus pandemic, the veteran of more than two decades on Beacon Hill said experience will be important in the days to come.
“Now is not the time for people who are good at what they do to leave state government. I believe I am good at what I do. And I believe the vote reflects that the people I am privileged to represent agree with this,” he said.
Timilty does not have a ballot opponent in November.
Longtime state Rep. James Murphy was challenged by political newcomer Melissa Smith for the 4th Norfolk seat. The district covers parts of Weymouth and Hingham. Hingham’s results were still not reported as of Wednesday afternoon. Murphy defeated Smith in Weymouth by a vote of 6,093 to 2,344.
In the race for state representative in the 5th Norfolk District,incumbent Mark Cusack was challenged by Paul Hennessy. The district consists of parts of Holbrook and Randolph, along with all of Braintree. Cusak won by a vote of 5,264 to 3,271.
In a four-way race for two Norfolk County Commission seats, incumbent Joseph Shea and Canton Moderator Richard Staiti were the top two vote getters. Shea had 75,482 votes as of Wednesday afternoon, and Staiti had 41,566.
Braintree City Councilor Charles Ryan had 35,256 votes and former Dedham Selectman Dennis Guilfoyle got 33,441.
The Plymouth County Commission also had four candidates and two seats up for election. On Wednesday afternoon, with all but two towns reporting, Hanley had 37,328 votes and Riordan had 32,550. Da Silva had 25,693 votes and Bradley had 26,372.
This was the first year Massachusetts offered mail-in voting — which is not the same as absentee votes sent in by mail — to all residents in a state primary. In-person turnout was low both during early voting and on Tuesday, officials said, but overall turnout is expected to be the highest the state has seen in the last 20 years.
Secretary of State William Galvin predicted there would be between 1.2 million and 1.3 million votes cast in the primary election, which would make for a higher-than-usual turnout. Generally, Galvin said, fewer than 1 million votes are cast in a state primary.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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