State primary results: A squeaker in Cambridge

UPDATED Sept. 13: The state primary election was held Tuesday, Sept. 3. Here are the results:

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Scroll down to see the unofficial results in Arlington >>

BostonGlobe.com says Decker ‘appears to’ top MacKay

BostonGlobe.com reports Sept. 5 that barely an hour had passed after polls closed Tuesday night when Evan MacKay’s campaign manager was, quite literally, popping the confetti, celebrating a presumed victory that MacKay would, an hour later, declare over longtime Representative Marjorie Decker in their heated Democratic primary.

In that moment, with many ballots left to count, MacKay supporters felt their candidate had pulled off the rare upset of an incumbent.

So rare, it seems, updated vote tallies suggest it didn’t actually happen.

In a reversal, Decker appeared to fend off MacKay, topping the graduate student and organizer by just 41 votes after Cambridge officials said they hand-counted hundreds more ballots, pushing Decker into the lead.

The city’s Election Commission released updated vote totals nearly 20 hours after polls closed showing Decker with 3,472 votes to MacKay’s 3,431. MacKay had led Decker by 40 votes in an unofficial count late Tuesday before Cambridge election officials unveiled the updated numbers, which included more than 260 additional votes, among them ballots submitted by voters overseas or by drop box. 

Decker prevails after recount, Cambridge Day reports

YourArlington partner Cambridge Day initially called the race for MacKay. Read Marc Levy’s report >> On Sept. 13, after a recount, it reported that Rep. Decker had retained her seat by 41 votes >>

Meanwhile, The Globe reported earlier that Decker did not explicitly concede the race, nor did she call MacKay, but seemed to come close as she gave an emotional speech about her time in the Legislature.

“There’s a lot of tears to be had. I’m not shedding any tears,” Decker told supporters at her election night party at the Fresh Pond Beer Garden. “I’ve had 25 incredible years of doing what I love.”

Her campaign, however, said MacKay’s celebration was premature.

“Declaring victory is irresponsible,” said Democratic consultant Jason Cincotti, who works on Decker’s campaign. “It’s reckless and it’s incorrect. We are waiting for all the votes to be counted.”

As of little after 1 a.m., Associated Press results showed MacKay leading Decker 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent, with 99 percent of votes counted.

Decker avoided a reporter’s questions Tuesday night, instead making a quick exit to her car.

A loss for Decker would represent a notable upset in a state where few incumbents ever face a serious primary challenge, let alone meet defeat at the ballot box.

Decker, chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health, has faced little substantive competition before MacKay decided to challenge her. She has never faced an opponent in the general election, and her last primary challenge was six years ago, in 2018.

In a speech, MacKay thanked volunteers for helping surmount what they said they were told were “impossible odds.”

“This is a wake-up call to the political establishment,” MacKay said. “We’ve shown that our movement is mighty.”

Turnout

As of Tuesday morning, the state had already exceeded the turnout percentage in 2016, with 9.8 percent voter turnout as of 7 a.m. A total of 497,428 ballots had been cast at that time, most of those by mail.

Secretary of State William F. Galvin said his office expects about 15 percent turnout — which would exceed turnout in the last two comparable state primaries in 2016 and 2012. (2020 was an anomaly, given the Covid pandemic.)

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This news announcement was published Tuesday, July 2, 2024, based on information from the town website. It was updated most recently Sept. 13.