Dudley Selectman John Marsi won the 6th Worcester District’s House seat in a special primary election held on Tuesday.
In a close race, Marsi beat out Republican rival David Adams, a Southbridge town councilor with 53% of the vote to 47%, according to unofficial tallies. The district consists of Dudley, Southbridge, part of Charlton and part of Spencer.
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“To the 6th Worcester District, I want to thank you for the trust that you placed in me to serve as your Republican nominee for State Representative. To my family, friends, and supporters: thank you,” Marsi wrote on his Facebook campaign page Tuesday evening. “I look forward to continuing to speak with voters across the district regarding the critical issues we face and humbly ask for your vote on March 5th in the General Election.”
Here are the vote tallies, based on preliminary information from the four town’s in the district:
Charlton:
- Marsi – 314
- Adams – 215
Dudley:
- Marsi – 636
- Adams – 188
Southbridge:
- Marsi – 154
- Adams – 607
Spencer:
- Marsi – 82
- Adams – 33
Total:
- Marsi – 1,186
- Adams – 1,043
Marsi and Adams both ran as Republicans and sought to fill Republican Peter Durant’s seat after he was sworn in to join the state Senate on Nov. 29.
Both shared similar views on several issues, including support for public infrastructure, law enforcement and first responders, ending “blindly spending” on immigration (as Adams’ website reads) and keeping housing affordable because “roughly 1,100 people leave the Commonwealth of Massachusetts due to affordability,” Marsi’s website claims.
Marsi has been involved in local politics for 12 years, while Adams has for about 18 years, according to their respective campaign websites.
The district was once a haven for Democratic politicians until Durant won in 2011 over then-incumbent Geraldo Alicea.
Democrats stopped intervening in the 6th Worcester District race after two more attempts to reclaim it from Durant. Given Democrats’ status as the party with a supermajority on Beacon Hill, “letting Republicans keep the district won’t change the balance of power,” Politico reported.
While the Democrats did not field a candidate in the race, Marsi still may face an opponent in the March 5 general election. He will face any opponent who files their candidacy before 5 p.m. on Feb. 15, according to Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin’s office.
