Bristol County results: Markey elected DA, Republican flips the 8th Bristol seat
Democrat Chris Markey was elected Bristol County district attorney, and Republican Jesse St. Gelais flipped the 8th Bristol District House seat, according to unofficial results from Tuesday's election. Counts are unofficial until certified.
Democrat Chris Markey was elected Bristol County district attorney, and Republican Jesse St. Gelais flipped the 8th Bristol District House seat, according to unofficial results from Tuesday's election. Counts are unofficial until certified.
COUNTY OFFICES
District attorney: Markey received 106,279 votes, or 54.9%, to Republican Seth Aitken's 87,368, or 45.1%, according to The Sun Chronicle. Markey succeeds Thomas Quinn III, who did not seek a fourth term. Aitken, Fall River's former city administrator, was the first Republican to run for the seat since 1974, The New Bedford Light reported. He said on Facebook Wednesday morning that he had called Markey to congratulate him.
Register of probate: Incumbent Democrat Tom Hoye won about 65% to independent Melanie Patenaude Layden's 35%, with 17 of the county's 20 cities and towns counted, the Light reported. Layden declined to comment until the results are certified.
County treasurer and county commissioner: Christopher T. Saunders and John T. Saunders, cousins from New Bedford, ran unopposed and won.
STATE HOUSE
8th Bristol: St. Gelais, an Acushnet insurance agent, beat Democratic Rep. Steven Ouellette, 9,006 votes (51.2%) to 8,547 (48.6%). Ouellette had won the seat in 2024. The district is all of Westport and parts of Freetown, Acushnet, Fall River and New Bedford.
9th Bristol: Democrat Edward Pacheco beat Republican Chester Tam, 9,558 to 7,483 (56% to 44%), in the district of all of Dartmouth and three New Bedford precincts. He succeeds Markey. Dartmouth turnout was 55%.
6th Bristol: Democratic Rep. Carole Fiola won reelection, 6,833 to 4,588 over Republican Robert Anctil. She took Fall River 61% to 38%, while Anctil narrowly won Freetown, 692 to 668 (WSAR, unofficial).
7th Bristol: Democratic Rep. Alan Silvia was reelected, according to The Herald News.
10th Bristol: Democratic Rep. Mark Sylvia won a second term over Republican Brendalee Smith, according to the Light.
STATEWIDE RACES IN BRISTOL COUNTY
Fall River's city results show Gov. Maura Healey winning the city with 51.69% to Republican Mike Minogue's 43.83%, a margin of 1,625 votes. Sen. Ed Markey beat Republican John Deaton in the city, 55.67% to 38.84%. Healey and Markey both won statewide, CBS Boston reported. Fall River's figures are the city's own and unofficial.
BALLOT QUESTIONS
Fall River voted yes on six of nine questions and no on three. It rejected Question 8, the marijuana repeal, 72% to 28%, and approved Question 4, Election Day registration, by 124 votes. It voted no on Question 3 (all-party primaries) and Question 7 (single-family zoning).
In the Attleboro area, voters rejected the marijuana and gun-law repeals and backed the public records measure, but broke with the statewide result on two questions: they rejected Election Day registration, and supported changes to the revenue cap.
Statewide, the Associated Press called Question 4 for yes, and Question 3 for no. Questions 5 and 7 had not been called Wednesday morning, according to CBS Boston and WBUR.
Sources: The Sun Chronicle, The New Bedford Light, Fall River Reporter, WSAR, The Herald News, CBS Boston, WBUR. All results are unofficial.