The governor’s race wasn’t the only election in Massachusetts where Democrats emerged victorious on Tuesday.
From the auditor to the attorney general, other statewide races similarly went to the Democratic candidate, in a reversal of most national trends.
Martha Coakley, Democrat, retained her position as attorney general with about 63 percent of the vote while her Republican opponent Jim McKenna received only about 37 percent of the vote, with 97 percent of state precincts voting.
In a statement on her campaign website, Coakley expressed her gratitude to her supporters after a tumultuous year for the Democrat, who in February lost a special Senate election to Republican Scott Brown.
“While this year certainly didn’t start the way that I had had hoped… losing doesn’t mean you quit. You keep on working for the people and the things that you believe in,” she said. “There is no question that we face difficult times right now, and that there will be great challenges ahead. And while tonight we can celebrate your hard work and success, we know that it is right back to work to build that better tomorrow.”
In the race for state treasurer, Democrat Steve Grossman beat Republican Karyn Polito, 55 percent to 45 percent, with 97 percent of precincts reporting.
“This is a time of great uncertainty for our economy,” Grossman said in a statement following his election. “While we are doing better than other states, 300,000 people are still out of work. We do not have a minute to waste to create new jobs and revitalize small businesses, the backbone of our economy.”
In a closer race, Democrat Suzanne Bump won the auditor’s race over Republican Mary Connaughton, garnering 49 percent of the vote to Connaughton’s 46 percent.
Bump will be the first woman to hold the position of auditor in Massachusetts.
Democrat Bill Galvin won the election for secretary of state, winning 65 percent of the electorate compared with Republican Bill Campbell’s 33 percent.
In the races for the House of Representatives, all 10 seats went to the Democratic candidates.
District Four, which includes Brookline, was won by Democratic incumbent Rep. Barney Frank, who beat Republican Sean Bielat with 54 percent of the votes to 43 percent.
Frank was first elected to Congress in 1980, and in 1987 became the first Congressman to come out as gay.
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry responded to election results in a statement released Tuesday night.
“Tonight’s clean sweep underscores that despite massive outside spending and prevailing political winds, Massachusetts Democrats win when they take nothing for granted, fight hard, and stand proud of the people and the values they represent,” Kerry said. “Deval Patrick, Tim Murray, Barney Frank, Bill Keating and many, many others reminded Massachusetts tonight that some things really are worth fighting for, and that’s a big big lesson not just for Democrats but for everyone, everywhere.”
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