In the Massachusetts primary, it was a night for incumbents: Senator Ed Markey cruised to victory, all congressional representatives fended off challengers, and the Cape and Islands District Attorney is cruising back to office after Tuesday’s primary.
Likely the highest profile race for the Cape and the Islands was the district attorney’s office with Rob Galibois defending his office from Democratic challenger, Mike Giardino, with roughly 60 percent of the vote; also, Cape, Coast and Islands Congressional rep Bill Keating won in a landslide over challenger Craig Swallow, a New Bedford activist; and atop the Democratic ballot, Markey beat out challenger, Congressman Seth Moulton, by some 30 points Tuesday night.
But it wasn’t all incumbents Tuesday.
Dan Gessen, a 26-year-old Falmouth resident who has run a progressive platform, came out as the top vote getter in the Barnstable County Commission Democratic primary.
It was a narrow margin. According to unofficial results, Gessen won by roughly 1,000 votes in the 15-town, regional election.
The three-way race has Gessen with 42 percent of the vote, 40 percent for incumbent Ron Bergstrom, and 18 percent for challenger Eric Schwaab from Barnstable.
Bergstrom tells CAI that he is not challenging the numbers and is ceding to Gessen.
Geographics seemed to be a big factor in the race. Bergstrom won his hometown of Chatham in a roughly 4 to 1 margin. But the results from Falmouth — coming in after midnight early Wednesday morning — had Gessen also winning his hometown, 4 to 1. That was just enough to put Gessen over the top.
In comments Wednesday morning, Bergstrom says he hopes that Gessen focuses on the task at hand, which is Barnstable County government.
Gessen will face Republican Adam Hogue in the general election in November.
On the Mid Cape, it was all Christopher Lambton, the longtime select board member in Dennis. He beat out Steven Leibowitz in the Democratic primary for the First Barnstable District.
Lambton won with over 70 percent of the vote.
The Democrat will face unenrolled candidate Joe Glynn in November to represent Dennis, Yarmouth and Brewster at the state house.
That race is to replace Chris Flanagan who is not seeking reelection while he faces wire fraud and money laundering charges.
In comments to CAI, Lambton says that he is excited and ready to bring a voice for locals on the Cape back to the state house, with Flanagan largely being absent the last two years.
He has run a campaign on creating housing on the Cape, increasing affordability and helping small businesses.
“We need to make Massachusetts more affordable for working families, for seniors, for young people like myself who are leaving the Cape in droves,” he told CAI.
