Brownsberger to Retain Senate Seat

A crowd of observers filled the Town Hall auditorium Thursday morning for the state Senate Democratic primary recount. (Shealagh Sullivan/Belmont Voice)

Sen. William Brownsberger will continue to serve as state Senator of the Suffolk and Middlesex District, a role he has held since his election in 2012.

Following the result of Thursday’s districtwide recount for the Sept. 1 Democratic primary, Brownsberger will move to the general election in November, where he faces no Republican opponent to represent the district, which includes Belmont, Watertown, and parts of Boston and Cambridge.

Brownsberger did not immediately return requests for comment.

His victory against challenger Daniel Lander, a former senior aide to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, followed a close election between the two Democrats.

“I want to thank every election worker and volunteer who made sure every single vote was counted in this election,” Lander wrote in a statement to the press. “And–most importantly–I want to thank every voter who cast a ballot–no matter who you cast it for. I’d also like to congratulate Sen. Brownberger on victory. I sincerely wish him the best because the people of our district are counting on him to fight for them.”

According to certified results from the Sept. 1 primary, Brownsberger outpolled Lander districtwide by a total of 34 votes. Both candidates subsequently filed with the state a request for a districtwide recount, which took place between Wednesday and Thursday across the four communities included in the district.

In Belmont, Brownsberger garnered roughly 70% of the vote, with 4,012 votes compared to Lander’s 1,812, according to certified votes from the recount, published to the town website Thursday afternoon. The results for both Brownsberger and Lander increased in Belmont by two and three votes, respectively, from the original certified count.

In the four wards that make up the Boston portion of the district, Lander maintained his lead over Brownsberger with 5,131 votes to Brownsberger’s 3,369, according to certified recount results. Both candidates saw two less votes following Thursday’s recount.

“Despite the establishment’s best efforts, this campaign won three of the four communities of this district,” Lander wrote. “After being outspent two to one, our grassroots coalition made clear this district is hungry for change.”

Certified results for Watertown and Cambridge were not posted online as of Thursday afternoon.

Mary Byrne

Mary Byrne

Mary Byrne is a member of The Belmont Voice staff. Mary can be contacted at mbyrne@belmontvoice.org.