BOSTON (WHDH) - Former Special Assistant US Attorney John Deaton is projected to win the Massachusetts Republican senate primary, setting up a matchup with incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Warren in November, according to the Associated Press.
Polls opened Tuesday morning for the final day of voting in the 2024 Massachusetts state primary, with nominations at stake in several state and federal races.
Polls closed at 8 p.m. and results were still coming in as of around 9 p.m. But with 17% of precincts reporting, the AP projected Deaton would beat fellow Republican candidates Robert Antonellis and Ian Cain.
Deaton led the field with 65% of the vote, according to the AP. Antonellis was in second place with 26%. Cain had 8%.
Warren has held office since 2013 and is seeking her third term in the Senate.
“I am truly humbled by the tremendous outpouring of support and grateful for the faith the voters have placed in me,” Deaton said in a statement Tuesday night.
He said his campaign will enter a new phase beginning Wednesday as he faces Warren.
“Voters are turning their back on divisive partisan politics and are ready to support a message of optimism, unity, and solving problems,” he later added.
Outside the senate rate, some Massachusetts Republicans were also asked to settle a three-way primary race to face incumbent US Rep. Stephen Lynch in Massachusetts’ Eighth Congressional District.
Candidates included videographer Robert Burke, health care worker James Govatsos, and bar owner Daniel Kelly.
While Republicans weighed in on congressional races, Democrats had three contested races related to seats on the state Governor’s Council.
The council meets weekly and is tasked with approving or denying gubernatorial judicial appointments. The council also reviews pardons and commutations from the governor and must approve a pardon or commutation for it to take effect.
The State House News Service reported additional contested primary elections in 26 state house of representatives districts and six state senate districts.
Though some cases remained uncalled, the News Service reported incumbents winning in the majority of state house primary contests Tuesday night.
Previewing the primary election, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin said he expected turnout to fall close to 15%. By the time polls officially opened, Galvin said roughly one in 10 voters had already cast a ballot through various vote-by-mail and mail-in voting options.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)