The long-awaited and extremely unique Primary Election unfolded on Tuesday, Sept. 1, with State Rep. Joe McGonagle cruising to victory over Councilor Michael McLaughlin in a race that didn’t end up being close, but had more than 5,400 votes cast in total.
Rep. McGonagle won every precinct in the city over McLaughlin, and won 3,431 to 2,208.
“I’m so grateful that the people of Everett have once again placed their trust in me to continue to serve them on Beacon Hill,” he said. “I have never taken one day as State Representative for granted and I look forward to continuing the work we have started.”
McLaughlin conceded the race shortly after the polls closed, about 8:20 p.m.
“Let me take this opportunity to congratulate Rep. McGonagle on his victory tonight,” he said. “I would also like to thank my family, friends and the good citizens of Everett for their support. My commitment hasn’t changed, I will continue to work hard as City Councilor moving The great city of Everett forward.”
It returns Rep. McGonagle back for another term in 2021.
The U.S. Senate race was a squeaker in Everett, and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey just bested Congressman Joe Kennedy III despite being from next-door Malden and campaigning hard here.
Still, he came away beating Kennedy 3,109 votes (52 percent) to 2,721 votes (45.5 percent). Statewide, by press time, with 26 percent of the vote reported, Markey was up 54 percent of the vote to Kennedy’s 45 percent. That was about a 30,000 vote margin. Final results in that race were not available statewide by press time.
State Sen. Sal DiDomenico was unopposed in his election, but collected 4,962 votes in Everett, his home city in a district that also includes Chelsea, Charlestown, parts of Cambridge and parts of Allston.
Governor’s Councilor Terrence Kennedy also has a sprawling district, but has his home base in Everett, where he got 3,608 votes to Helina Fontes’s 1,749 votes.
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley was also unopposed on the Democratic ballot, and collected 4,521 votes in Everett.
On the Republican side of the ballot, the only race of any consequence was U.S. Senator, where Kevin O’Connor bested Shiva Ayyadurai in Everett, 409 to 295.
The General Election will take place on Nov. 3, which will include the blockbuster U.S. Presidential contest between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden. Most of the local races in Everett were decided Tuesday night, as there is no challenger from the Republican side at the moment except for the U.S. Senate race.