Massachusetts Primary Election Results 2024: What we know on Wednesday

Voters in the Massachusetts primary made their decisions about who to send to November’s general election on Nov. 5.

In the general election, residents will not only decide between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump for president, but a variety of state-level races. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s challenger in the November election will be former Marine and attorney-at-law John Deaton a new Bolton resident.

“Massachusetts voters are ready for a change,” Deaton said, promising to bring that change into the state. He praised his primary challengers, noting that each has the potential to do well in politics.

Allison Cartwright and John E. Powers win clerk races

Allison S. Cartwright beat Erin J. Murphy in the Democratic primary for Clerk of Courts, Suffolk County- Supreme Judicial division. There is no Republican on the ballot in November’s general election. Cartwright received 33,022 votes from Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop voters, while Murphy received 22,9905.

John E. Powers III, the incumbent, beat challenger Faustina Kathy Gabriel in the Democratic primary for Clerk of Courts, Suffolk County- Civil Business division. There is no Republican on the ballot in November’s general election. Powers received 30,406 votes from Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop voters, while Gabriel received 19,278.

Cambridge race may require a recount

With 99% of the votes counted, the race for 25th Middlesex District race might require a recount, with only 40 votes separating the two candidates.

Incumbent State Rep. Marjorie Decker appears poised to lose her seat to union leader and graduate student Evan MacKay. At of this morning, MacKay has 3,354 votes, or 50.3%, and Decker has 3,314 of 49.7%, according to the Associate Press’s unofficial results with 99% of votes counted.

Massachusetts State law says recounts can be requested if the differential is not more than half of 1% of the total votes cast for office.

While the race is close, MacKay reportedly declared victory at his campaign party on election night, while Decker has not yet seceded the race, according to The Boston Globe.

What happened in the Democratic Governor’s Council races?

The Governor’s Council is a government body made up of eight members that meet to approve the governor’s judicial or administrative nominations, pardon recommendations or state treasury warrants.  

Three seats have races in the primary, with most eyes on the District 3 race between Mary Dolan and incumbent Marilyn Petitto Devaney, both Democrats. Devaney, who had held the seat for 10 years, lost to Dolan in the unofficial results. Dolan secured 52.2% of the vote.

Dolan said she will bring her experience as a public defender to the Council table, which her website says is important because the Council helps decide who judges are, who will be on the Parole Board and who receives commuted sentences and pardons.  

In District 2, a race between Democrats Tamisha Civil, Sean Murphy , Muriel Kramer, and David Reservit was won by Civil who secured 38.7% of the vote in the unofficial results. In the November election, Civil will face Republican Francis Crimmins.

In the District 4 race between Democrats Christopher Iannella and Stacey Borden, Iannella won with 56.5% of the votes.

What is the deadline to register to vote in the November general election? 

If you could not vote yesterday because you were not registered, here’s what you need to know for the next election. October 26 is the last day you can register to vote in Massachusetts for the general election. Here are you options: 

• In person at your local election office by 5 p.m. 
• Online on Oct. 26 by 11:59 p.m.  
• By mail, postmarked Oct. 26 

Massachusetts election results  

Polls close throughout the Commonwealth at 8 p.m. and as part of the USA Today Network in Massachusetts, we are covering it live. For your site’s election results, click on the link and find the race you want to know about.  

When do election results come out?  

Election results started coming out soon after the polls close at 8 p.m. The first results were available within the first 30 minutes after polls close; however, they represent a very small pool of the ballots cast and are not necessarily a reliable indicator of how the rest of the night will go as more votes roll in.   

As more votes are counted, the Associated Press will call races once candidates “no longer have a path to victory.” (You can read an explanation of the process here.)   Some results were not available until after 11 p.m. or this morning.

These are all considered unofficial results, because the final results need to be certified by election officials, which does not happen until a few days after the election.   

What’s on the ballot

To see a full list of the Democratic Party candidates, click here. To see a full list of the Republican Party candidates, click here. The offices on the 2024 ballot include the following, but there are not contested races in all of them.

• U.S. Senator
• U.S. Representative
• Governor’s Councillor
• State Senator
• State Representative
• Register of Deeds
• Clerk of Courts
• County Commissioner (certain counties only)