Republicans show renewed strength in Massachusetts

Voters opted to change up the political party of their state representative in at least four districts Tuesday on a night when Massachusetts Republicans showed renewed strength.

Republicans flipped at least three legislative seats in Massachusetts, including one held by a veteran Democrat once in the House's inner circle. In the other direction, a Democrat claimed at least one House district held by a Republican: the First Plymouth district Rep. Mathew Muratore gave up to challenge for Senate.

Rep. Patricia Haddad, who was first elected during Bill Clinton's final year in the Oval Office and served as speaker pro tempore under former House Speaker Robert DeLeo, did not earn a 13th term.

GOP challenger Justin Thurber appears to have won his rematch against Haddad after falling short in the same matchup in 2022. The state Republican Party praised Thurber for his victory just after 10:15 p.m. Tuesday, a win that both unseated an incumbent and flipped a longtime blue district red.

MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale said that in the past four decades, only one GOP candidate has flipped a Massachusetts legislative district during a presidential election year: William Crocker, who in 2016 won a race for a Cape Cod district that at the time had sent Democrats to the House for more than two decades straight. (Crocker served two terms and lost in 2020, another presidential year, to Democrat Kip Diggs.)

Carnevale said the successes so far "send a clear warning to Democrats on Beacon Hill that the days of 'business as usual' are over."

"If there was any question about the strength of the MassGOP, I think we answered that tonight," Carnevale said in a statement around midnight.

"Tonight, we flipped three seats including an incumbent Democrat who was the speaker pro tem. All while protecting all of our incumbents that sought reelection," she added. "The night isn't over and we're awaiting further numbers."

Despite the gains, Republicans didn't field candidates in many districts and Democrats again easily held on to their supermajority margins.

In an apparent win, Taunton City Councilor Kelly Dooner, a Republican Senate candidate, declared victory over Democrat Raynham Select Board Chair Joseph Pacheco, according to the Boston Herald . Her victory would flip a South Coast district held for more than three decades by retiring Democrat Sen. Marc Pacheco (who has no relation to the candidate trying to succeed him).

The candidate Pacheco did not outright concede and said some votes still need to be tallied, the Herald reported.

Carnevale counted Dooner among the winners in her statement.

If the result holds, Dooner would become the first Republican woman elected to the Massachusetts Senate since Jo Ann Sprague of Walpole, who decided in 2004 not to seek reelection.

Republicans also claimed a vacant House seat on the South Shore last held by Democrat Rep. Josh Cutler, who resigned in February for a job in the Healey administration.

Ken Sweezey of Pembroke defeated Rebecca Coletta, a Pembroke Democrat, according to the party, which praised Sweezey's win on social media.

Sweezey, who works as a project specialist at a biotech company, challenged Cutler two years ago but lost by more than 12 percentage points. The district had long tilted Republican before voters first picked Cutler in 2012.

"I am honored by your support and will work diligently every day to serve your interests at Beacon Hill," Sweezey wrote on Facebook.

Just a bit to the south, Democrats notched at least one pickup of their own, too.

Plymouth School Committee Chair Michelle Badger said around 11:30 p.m. that she won in a race against Jesse Brown, a Republican.

"Plymouth, I am so proud to announce that I am your new State Rep-Elect of the 1st Plymouth District," she wrote. "I want to thank you all for the trust, confidence and support! I will work hard every day for you and the trust you have placed in me."

Badger and Brown were vying to succeed Muratore, who opted to challenge for a Senate seat that opened up when Democrat Sen. Susan Moran of Falmouth opted against seeking reelection.

Muratore's race against fellow Rep. Dylan Fernandes, a Democrat, was one of the most closely watched of the cycle and drew massive campaign spending. The district has alternated between red and blue, and now appears on track to stick with back-to-back Democrats.

Fernandes told the News Service around midnight that he had received a "very gracious call" from Muratore conceding the race. "I want to congratulate him on a really thoughtful, spirited campaign," Fernandes said.

The Falmouth Democrat added, "Looking forward to working to serve the people here."

One race for an open seat might be going down to the wire.

Michael Chaisson, a Foxborough Republican who owns a residential remodeling business, and Kostas Loukos, a Mansfield Democrat who works for the Mass. Gaming Commission, are running to succeed retiring Republican Rep. F. Jay Barrows.

Chaisson on Tuesday night claimed victory and thanked his opponent for "running a clean and respectful race."

"I look forward to serving the 1st Bristol District. I am excited about the days to come," Chaisson said in a statement to the News Service.

A bit earlier in the night, Loukos posted on Facebook that his team is "still waiting for official results and confirmation that all of the ballots are counted and certified."

"This election is too close to call as of tonight. I have full faith in our democratic process and this race shows that every vote really does count," he wrote.

Republican Sen. Peter Durant of Spencer won a full term after joining the chamber - and flipping former Democrat Sen. Anne Gobi's seat in the process - in a special election last year. He defeated Democrat challenger Sheila Dibb of Rutland.

On the other side of the aisle, Democrat Sen. John Cronin of Fitchburg secured reelection in a race that Beacon Hill insiders dubbed one to watch.

Cronin declared victory a bit after 11 p.m., thanking voters in a Facebook post and describing a "hard fought race" against Republican Nick Pirro of Lunenburg.

"I am overwhelmed by your support and grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve the Worcester and Middlesex district as your Senator for another term," he wrote. "Voters, thank you for this privilege and the opportunity to build upon our work and progress."

Cronin closed his post with a more national message.

"We live in a truly special country where our future is decided in no small measure by voters at the ballot box," he said. "I pray our country unites after all the ballots are counted and we never forget there is far more that binds us together as Americans than divides us. We are in this together."

While results were still being tallied in many areas, incumbents largely cruised in Tuesday's election, most of them without even facing any opposition.

All 160 House seats and all 40 Senate seats are up for reelection every two years. In 118 House districts and 28 Senate districts, only a single candidate was on the ballot in the general election.

Democrats have long had an unbreakable grip on both chambers of the Legislature. They gained a majority in the House in 1955 and in the Senate four years later, and since then, the GOP has never won back either chamber. By the late 1960s, Democrats bulked their margins up to veto-proof majorities.

At the start of the day Tuesday, Democrats held 132 House seats and 36 Senate seats, while Republicans held 24 House seats and four Senate seats. The House has three vacant seats, and one rep, Susannah Whipps of Athol, is an independent.