Race for Cambridge-based House seat still too close to call as other pols glide to reelection
Most elected lawmakers on Beacon Hill strolled to reelection Tuesday night in Massachusetts’ state primary elections but at least one House race for a Cambridge-based seat remained too close to call Wednesday morning.
The state’s long-documented power of incumbency was being put to the test in the matchup between Rep. Marjorie Decker, a six-term Democrat, and Evan MacKay, a graduate student and self-described “pro-democracy organizer.”
Vote counts from the Associated Press showed MacKay leading Decker by only 40 votes, or roughly 0.6% of the total ballots cast. The media organization reported that 99% of votes had been counted, according to data last updated just after 1 a.m.
MacKay reportedly declared victory at his primary night election party while Decker did not explicitly concede defeat.
Decker, the chair of the Legislature’s Public Health Committee, and MacKay did not immediately respond to Herald inquiries Wednesday morning.
Decker raised more than $117,000 this year compared to MacKay’s $70,274, according to state campaign finance data.
Candidates can pursue two different types of recounts, depending on the vote margin.
If the difference between votes is less than one-half of one percent, a candidate can file petitions with local election officials for a districtwide recount. The deadline to do so is Friday, according to Secretary of State William Galvin’s office.
It is still unclear if the matchup between Decker and MacKay will qualify for a districtwide recount as officials still need to determine the total number of ballots cast, a spokesperson for Galvin said Wednesday morning.
Any candidate can file for a precinct-level recount so long as they collect the necessary number of signatures, the spokesperson said.
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Previous recounts in Massachusetts have unfolded in dramatic fashion.
Rep. Lenny Mirra, a Republican, appeared to hold onto his North Shore House seat after the 2022 general election, when he led his challenger by 10 votes of the more than 23,000 cast.
But a recount flipped the race and put Democratic Rep. Kristin Kassner ahead by a single vote.
Other Beacon Hill Democrats fended off their challengers.
Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven, a second-term Somerville Democrat, bested Kathleen Hornby, a former legislative staffer, by more than 37% of the votes cast, according to data from the Associated Press.
Hornby had raised more than $42,000 this year compared to Uyterhoeven’s $30,000-plus, according to state data.
Both Sen. Nick Collins, a South Boston Democrat, and Sen. Adam Gomez, a Springfield Democrat, beat their Democratic challengers.
Other races in Massachusetts were also still uncalled.
Rep. Mathew Muratore of Plymouth and Bourne School Committee Member Kari MacRae were still battling it out in a Republican primary to see who would face Rep. Dylan Fernandes, a Falmouth Democrat, in November for a South Shore and Cape Cod Senate seat.
MacRae was ahead by more than 1,200 votes with key areas still uncounted, according to tallies from the Associated Press last updated just before 1 a.m.
This is a developing story…
