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Elections

Boston's delegation to Congress and the State House returns. Only a few races here were contested

Most of Boston's legislators ran unopposed. In the contested races, Lynch, Biele, MacGregor and Brownsberger won easily in Boston's precincts. The council sends these lawmakers its home rule petitions.

By Boston Politics staffUpdated

Most of the lawmakers who represent Boston at the State House and in Congress had no opponent on Tuesday. In the handful of contested races, the incumbents won easily in Boston's precincts, according to the city's unofficial results, last updated at 3:46 a.m. Wednesday.

These figures cover Boston precincts only. Several districts include parts of other communities, so the district-wide totals will differ. All results are unofficial.

Congress

  • 7th District (189 Boston precincts): U.S. Rep. Ayanna S. Pressley, unopposed, 96.83%.
  • 8th District (86 Boston precincts): U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, 76.91%; Robert Gerald Burke, 17.98%; Rasheed Nicholas Walters, 4.52%.

State Senate

  • Suffolk and Middlesex (35 Boston precincts): Sen. William N. Brownsberger, 90.86%; Brandon Charles Wood, 7.84%.
  • Unopposed: Nicholas P. Collins (1st Suffolk), Liz Miranda (2nd Suffolk), Lydia Marie Edwards (3rd Suffolk), Sal N. DiDomenico (Middlesex and Suffolk) and Persis S. Yu (Norfolk and Suffolk).

State House

Two Boston-area House races were contested:

  • 4th Suffolk (20 Boston precincts): David M. Biele, 77.96%; Charles J. Delaney, 21.56%.
  • 10th Suffolk (22 Boston precincts): William F. MacGregor, 89.82%; Devin Allen Kreinbring, 9.10%.

Unopposed: Adrian C. Madaro (1st Suffolk), Daniel J. Ryan (2nd), Aaron Michlewitz (3rd), Christopher J. Worrell (5th), Russell Earl Holmes (6th), Chynah T. Tyler (7th), Jay D. Livingstone (8th), John Francis Moran (9th), Brandy Fluker Reid (12th), Daniel J. Hunt (13th), Rob Consalvo (14th), Samantha Montaño (15th), Kevin G. Honan (17th) and Michael J. Moran (18th).

Governor's Council

All three Boston-area members were unopposed: Mara Dolan (3rd District), Christopher A. Iannella Jr. (4th) and Terrence W. Kennedy (6th). The Governor's Council confirms judges and some other appointments.

Why it matters for City Hall

Boston can't change some of its own rules without the Legislature. When the City Council wants an exception to state law, it passes a home rule petition. That petition goes to these lawmakers, and it takes effect only if the Legislature passes it and the governor signs it.

What our records add. This year the council has used home rule petitions for, among other things, individual exceptions to the maximum age for new police officers and firefighters:

Each one still needs action at the State House. The petitions name the applicants, who are private residents, so we do not name them here. In September, City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata said she had filed a broader petition to waive the police age limit more generally (watch at 3:00:22).

What's next

The new Legislature is sworn in in January. Boston's petitions are acted on by the House and Senate, usually after review by a joint committee. The city must certify its official count by Nov. 18. Our results overview covers turnout and the ballots still being counted.