By Alex Svenson
WESTFORD CENTER — Voters filed through the doors of Westford Academy and the Stony Brook School last Tuesday, Sept. 1, to make their way to the polls to vote in the Massachusetts primary election.
According to unofficial results released by the Westford Town Clerk’s office, Westford saw a 22% voter turnout, with 4,290 ballots cast out of 19,835 registered voters. Out of the total ballots cast, 3,270 ballots were cast in the Democratic primary, while 1,020 ballots were cast in the Republican primary.
Three contested races were on the ballots. Incumbent Democrat Ed Markey won Westford’s U.S. Senate vote with 1,996 votes, defeating challenger Seth Moulton, who received 1,242 votes. In the contested race for District Attorney, incumbent Democrat Marian Ryan secured 2,382 votes to defeat David Solet, who earned just 616 votes. The contested Republican gubernatorial race saw Mike Minogue win the town with 791 votes over Brian Shortsleeve, who received 218 votes.
Despite these contested races, uncontested candidates led the remaining positions on both tickets.
Uncontested Democratic Winners:
- Lori Trahan for U.S. House of Representatives (2,803 votes)
- Maura Healey for Governor (2,817 votes)
- Kim Driscoll for Lieutenant Governor (2,762 votes)
- Paul DePalo for Governor’s Councillor (2,623 votes)
- Bill Galvin for Secretary of the Commonwealth (2,845 votes)
- Andrea Campbell for Attorney General (2,741 votes)
- Diana DiZoglio for Auditor (2,707 votes)
- Deb Goldberg for Treasurer (2,723 votes)
- Tara DeCristofaro for Register in Probate (2,634 votes)
- John Cronin for Massachusetts State Senate (2,691 votes)
- Jim Arciero for Massachusetts House of Representatives (2,822 votes)
Uncontested Republican Winners:
- John Deaton for U.S. Senate (875 votes)
- Gary Grossi for U.S. House of Representatives (822 votes)
- Shawn Oliver for Lieutenant Governor (748 votes)
- Margaret Abboud for Governor’s Councillor (751 votes)
- Mike Walsh for Attorney General (843 votes)
- Elizabeth Dionne for Treasurer (827 votes)
No candidates appeared on the Republican ballot for Secretary of the Commonwealth, Auditor, State Senator, State Representative, District Attorney, or Register of Probate, where the sole votes were write-ins.
WestfordCAT spoke to voters outside the polling centers during the primary and asked them about their ballots selections.
“Honestly, I voted for people who are not Republicans,” said Claude Galinsky. “Once that’s out of the way, who wins the race for district attorney is almost immaterial.”
When asked if he believes Gov. Healey will pull some weight in the Democrats’ fight against President Donald Trump’s administration and policies if she is re-elected in the November general election, Galinsky said “I think she has a considerable amount of power and I think that together with other governors and other elected officials, it might be possible to preserve our democracy.”
Meanwhile, several Republican voters in town voiced their disappointment in the Healey administration and expressed support for Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue.
“I did vote for Mike Minogue, I’ll be upfront with that,” said Michael Ruggieri. “I hope for massive change. I think that change needs to happen in Massachusetts. I think that things are becoming very loose and they need to be tightened up from many different standpoints.”
Affordability and taxes were a major factor to many Republican voters in their decision to vote for Minogue.
“Owning two companies and being a small business guy, you can see the movement of what’s happening in Massachusetts, taxes, everything,” said Bill Mantville. “I’ve been here in Westford 59 years and the bottom line is, my kids had to move to New Hampshire. They can’t afford to even be in this town right now due to the high taxes. The inflation is out of control. Mike Minogue has a future as far as businesses, creating lower taxes and getting young people to stay here. (Massachusetts) is a beautiful state, but you need somebody to have the qualifications like Minogue, who runs companies, builds businesses and provides opportunities so younger generations can stay here.”
Despite party differences and policy disagreements, voters all agreed it is important for all citizens to come out and vote and have a voice in future politics.
“There’s a lot of really important stuff going on right now,” said Roze Fredkin, who serves as Assistant Director for the Westford Recreation Department and voted in the Democratic primary. “I feel that it’s important for everyone to make their mark in all cases as we move forward and to try to be aware and thoughtful about what’s happening in our towns and our cities and our states and country.”
The winners of the Sept. 1 primary determine who the Democrat and Republican candidates will be in the general election on Nov. 3.
