Races for two open seats on Massachusetts’ Governor’s Council remained too close to call on Wednesday morning.
Winners were not yet declared in the races for two open Governor’s Council seats at the end of Tuesday night.
All five incumbent Governor’s Council members on the ballot appeared to have cruised to reelection.
In District 2, which stretches from Framingham to Attleboro and Bridgewater, probation officer Tamisha Civil D-Stoughton, led retired Judge Francis Crimmins, R-Stoughton, 132,096 to 96,500 votes, shortly after 11:30 p.m. with 51% of precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press, which cited unofficial tallies.
North of Boston, former Methuen City Councilor Eunice Zeigler, a Democrat, was ahead of Peabody City Councilor Anne Manning-Martin, a Republican, in the District 5 race, 119,811 votes to 112,135, with around 56% of precincts in, unofficial tallies showed.
Unenrolled candidate Jody Elliott had more than 30,000 votes, according to the Associated Press.
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The Governor’s Council has final approval over new judges, Parole Board members, and clemency recipients.
Its eight districts are the largest political territories on the Massachusetts map, which can lead to slower reporting of results. Each district has an average population above 800,000 and incorporates five Senate districts.
For residents of the 37 towns and cities in District 2, January will mark their first representation on the Governor’s Council since the 2021-2022 term.
The last councilor to hail from that district, Robert Jubinville of Milton, won reelection in 2022 but was never sworn into office, instead taking a lifetime appointment as a clerk magistrate from outgoing Gov. Charlie Baker.
The District 5 seat, including parts of the North Shore and Merrimack Valley, opened up when Councilor Eileen Duff opted to instead run for register of deeds this year in the Southern Essex County district.
Duff told State House News Service she was “feeling good” about her register’s race against Republican Jonathan Edward Ring around 11:30 p.m.
District 1 Councilor Joseph Ferreira, a Swansea Democrat whose district spans the South Coast and Cape Cod, appeared to have fended off a challenge from independent attorney Krysten Condon.
“Nothing official yet. Up by a lot, I think,” Ferreira told the wire service around 11 p.m.
Councilor Paul DePalo of Worcester, whose District 7 territory traverses Central Massachusetts from Connecticut to New Hampshire, was leading Republican challenger Andrew Couture by a wide margin as of 11:30 p.m. in results reported by the Associated Press.
“It’s the honor of my life to serve you on the Governor’s Council,” DePalo wrote on X. “I am humbled by your overwhelming support. You can count on me to continue recruiting, supporting, and approving judges who will make Massachusetts courts the envy of the nation!”
Four Democrats were uncontested in the general election: Mara Dolan (District 3) of Concord, who unseated incumbent Councilor Mariln Petitto Devaney in the primary; Christopher Iannella Jr. (District 4) of Boston, who also represents much of the South Shore; Terrence Kennedy (District 6) of Lynnfield; and Tara Jacobs (District 8) of North Adams, who represents the western portion of the state.
MassLive Politics Editor John L. Micek contributed additional reporting.
