Democrat Susan Moran was voted in Tuesday as the new state senator for the Plymouth-Barnstable district.
Moran beat Republican Jay McMahon to fill the seat left vacant by Vinny DeMacedo in November.
Moran won by more than 2,000 votes in Falmouth, which was enough for her victory, despite losing in Bourne and in towns in the Plymouth district.
WCAI'S Kathryn Eident talked with Moran on Morning Edition about the win.
Eident Good morning and congratulations.
Moran Good morning. Thank you very much.
Eident Glad to have you with us. So, how does it feel to know that you'll soon be working on Beacon Hill?
Moran You know, it's really an incredible feeling to be supported by such a incredible district and, you know, it's so appreciated. And that being said, the reason I was elected is because, with my experience and knowledge of all that's already going on Beacon Hill, I can hit the ground running. And we need that in this district, given the incredible health concerns and economic concerns for the Plymouth Barnstable district.
Eident Obviously, this pandemic has caused so many disruptions and changes. How has that shaped your priorities as you get ready to head to your new post as state senator?
Moran Well, you know, we're all really kind of walking this tightrope between our physical health and our economic health. And, I think the biggest challenge is that just an avalanche of work that is being done in the legislature right now, led by the Senate president in Karen Spilka and Senator Cyr, as well as the delegation. I've been speaking with just the entire delegation for quite a while. And they are doing yeoman's work, very carefully negotiating and very intently listening to constituents and from businesses to just to folks at home with their concerns. And, I think that's the important thing, is really to listen in and get this right.
Eident What do you think about the governor's reopening plan? Of course, there's so many different elements of it to consider, along with the health care needs of everybody, but also the economic needs after being closed for so long.
Moran Well, the two things I appreciate the most are the fact that there is a particular attention given to the special needs of the Plymouth and Barnstable district and the fact that it is a phased approach.
But, you know, I do want to really carefully watch the result of the opening and be sure that there is not a slide back into more cases. We have the tourism season coming upon us. That means people be moving around a lot. I think that's something that we have to carefully monitor. We don't have all the testing supplies, or a vaccination, yet. So, all for those reasons, we have to be vigilant.
And, I think there has to be greater representation in terms of the kinds of businesses and workers represented who need really clear guidelines about the way to proceed. So it's going to be an ongoing project.
Eident Of course, your neighbors in Falmouth certainly came out to support you, helping you win with 2,000 votes there to become the senator-elect. But your opponent did win most of Plymouth County and Bourne. So, what do you say to voters in those towns about what you'll be doing to work for them?
Moran Well, you know, I think that winning Sandwich, and Falmouth was just incredible and showed the great grassroots organization. You know, I think that there is a ton of support and camaraderie in the entire district that really was affected by the coronavirus. When you look at the smart, really careful decisions that folks have been making about their personal health and social distancing, along with the incredible challenge of this very first election during COVID, I think that the numbers being lower really were indicative of the impact of corona, the fact that this is a special election, early voting, you know, real challenges.
And, I think as we go forward and look at trying to put together some tweaks to the voting system so that we can have more voters out there, it will bear out that this was, say, an incredible win for the entire Plymouth-Barnstable district, for Democrats, for folks that really appreciate a candidate that has a long amount of business sense. So, we're pulling it together and we're going to be moving ahead towards really succeeding over the coronavirus and opening up the community in a safe way.
Eident Well, thank you, Susan Moran, the Democratic state senator-elect for the Plymouth and Barnstable District. We appreciate it. And again, congratulations.
Moran Thank you so much.
