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.
“I am just grateful to be able to continue to serve,” Brownsberger said in a statement to The Voice. “I look forward to getting back to work.”
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.
His victory over challenger Daniel Lander, a former senior aide to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, followed an election with narrow margins 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. Brownsberger 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 a request with the state for a districtwide recount, which took place between Wednesday and Thursday across the four communities included in the district.
Ultimately, the recount confirmed a Brownsberger victory by 35 votes over Lander. Of the 24,551 votes cast for the two candidates, Brownsberger took 12,293 compared to Lander’s 12,258.
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.”
According to the Office of the Secretary of State, the recount in Cambridge confirmed vote totals from the Sept. 1 primary, and in Watertown, both candidates saw an additional four votes to their respective totals.