It was a historic night for Massachusetts as Attorney General Maura Healey was elected its next governor on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Healey is the first woman to be elected governor of Massachusetts in its 234-year-old history.
According to unofficial results from the Associated Press, Healey prevailed over Republican candidate Geoff Diehl and Libertarian candidate Kevin Reed.
As of 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, the AP declared Healey the winner with 1,343,592 votes, Diehl with 789,869 votes, and Reed with 33,970 votes.
After AP declared Healey the winner, her campaign sent the following statement via email quoting part of the speech that she made tonight to supporters in Boston:
“Tonight, I want to say something to every little girl and every young LGBTQ person. I hope tonight shows you that you can be whatever you want to be. And nothing but your own imagination should ever get in the way. I want you to know that tonight, we made history! The people of Massachusetts have given us an historic opportunity tonight, and a mandate to act. We’ll ignore the noise and focus every day on making a difference in their lives. Our job from day one will be to make our state more affordable… It is time for us to model the kind of leadership and collaboration and, yes, the respect that we want to see elsewhere. Because in Massachusetts we lift people up. We come together. And we lead. That’s who we are.”
At the same event, newly elected Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll added:
“We want to bring the Get Stuff Done approach to Beacon Hill so that all of our hometowns have a brighter future. Today, Massachusetts voters stood proud, spoke with one, powerful, clear voice and said, ‘It’s her time.’”
In the attorney general’s race, Democrat Andrea Campbell was declared the winner by the AP over Republican candidate James McMahon.
As of 8 a.m. on Nov. 9, the unofficial vote tally is Campbell with 1,298,933 votes while McMahon has 785,673 votes.
As for the secretary of state’s race, Democratic candidate William Galvin won his eighth term.
As of 8 a.m. on Nov. 9, Galvin has 1,404,414 votes, with Republican candidate Rayla Campbell at 621,133 votes, and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Juan Sanchez at 60,185 votes.
In the state auditor’s race, Democratic candidate Diana DiZoglio has been declared the winner with 1,100,810 votes as of 8 a.m. on Nov. 9.
Republican candidate Anthony Amore received 769,749 votes, Green-Rainbow Party candidate Gloria Caballero-Roca received 57,677 votes, independent candidate Dominic Giannone received 43,904 votes, and Libertarian candidate Daniel Riek received 41,672 votes.
In the 3rd Berkshire General State House race, Democrat William “Smitty” Pignatelli has been declared the winner of the race against Green-Rainbow Party candidate Michael Lavery, with Pignatelli receiving 13,553 votes over Lavery’s 1,433 votes.
As for the State Senate race for the Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Hampshire district, Democrat candidate Paul Mark appears to have won over unaffiliated candidate Brendan Phair.
As of 8 a.m. on Nov. 9, Mark has received 39,630 votes over Phair’s 12,628 votes.
In determining the results for the statewide ballot questions, as of 8 a.m. on Nov. 9 the AP has declared that voters approved Question 2, medical loss ratios for dental insurance plans.
As approved, the state will require dental insurance carriers to meet a medical loss ratio of 83 percent, while refunding any excess premiums to individuals and groups.
It will also require dental insurance carriers to submit financial statements to the state’s Division of Insurance, and allows the division to approve or reject insurance rates.
As of 8 a.m. on Nov. 9, The vote for Question 2 was 1,447,870 yes, and 585,120 no.
The AP has not declared winners in the other three statewide ballot questions as of press time.
Update 1:50 p.m.:
According to AP, Question 1 passed by a vote of 1,187,521 to 1,099,820. With its passage, the state constitution can now be amended for an additional tax rate of four percent for income over $1 million, in addition to an already existing five percent flat rate income tax. The revenue will be dedicated to education and transportation purposes.
State residents voted against Question 3 by a vote of 1,234,784 to 1,007,286. If passed, it would have made various changes to alcohol retail licensings, along with various fines and operation rules.
Question 4 passed by a vote of 1,213,276 to 1,046,524. The vote upholds HB 4805, which allows driver’s license or motor vehicle registration applicants to submit certain forms of identification if they cannot verify citizenship or immigration status.
Update Friday, Nov. 11 4 p.m.:
Here are the results from the Berkshire Hills Regional School District School Committee elections, as provided by Doreen Twiss Administrative Secretary to the Superintendent.
