Gov Baker, DA-Elect Rollins and ‘No on 1’ Big Winners in Charlestown

Charlestown followed the trend of the state, but bucked the Citywide trend in going all out for Gov. Charlie Baker in

Gov. Charlie Baker and his wife, Lauren, celebrate a big win Tuesday night at the Hynes Convention Center alongside Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and her husband, Stephan Rodolakis.

Tuesday’s General Election – voting for Baker in a 2-to-1 margin.

Gov. Baker has been popular in Charlestown and has made several visits to the Town, including a fun trip to Charlestown Gym Hockey and the Warren Tavern last week.

While citywide Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito came up short, with candidate Jay Gonzalez getting 50.55 percent of the Boston vote to Baker’s 49.1 percent, that trend didn’t play out in Charlestown.

Statewide, Gov. Baker got 67 percent of the vote to Gonzalez’s 33 percent, and it was similar in Charlestown.

Here, Baker got 5,574 votes to Gonzalez’s 2,624. Baker won all seven Charlestown precincts, and none of the precincts were even competitive. It was a Town-wide blowout.

During his victory party at the Hynes Convention Center in the Back Bay, he said his administration will continue to build bi-partisan relationships to tackle the tough issues.

“The people of Massachusetts elected us four years ago to bring fiscal discipline, a reform minded approach to governing, and a commitment to bipartisanship to state government,” he said. “We have done just that. Every single day. And today, the voters have spoken. They like what we are doing and they appreciate the way we work. So here’s the good news. That collaborative, purposeful and humble approach to governing is exactly what you are going to get from us and from our team for the next four years. Non-stop. Let’s rock.”

  • The biggest draw at the polls in Charlestown, however, was not the governor, but actually Question 1 concerning mandated nurse staffing ratios. In what had been an expensive and confusing campaign for voters, the Question was defeated easily in Charlestown, the City and statewide.

More than 8,000 votes were cast in Charlestown on Question 1, and the ‘no’ vote prevailed 3-to-1 among the electorate.

The ‘yes’ vote garnered 2,140 votes to the ‘no’ vote’s 6,056. Citywide, the ‘no’ vote got 64 percent to the ‘yes’ vote’s 36 percent.

  • For District Attorney, Rachael Rollins won big citywide and in Charlestown over Mike Maloney. Rollins had been a controversial candidate in submitting a “list” of crimes she would decline to prosecute during the campaign last summer. That “list” had gotten a lot of attention after the September primary victory, and she has spent most of the last month explaining the plan – which would essentially divert resources from smaller, quality-of-life crimes to investigate larger crimes like homicide, rape and aggravate assaults.

In Charlestown, Rollins got 5,489 votes to Maloney’s 1,935.

On Tuesday night, Rollins’ said her election reflects a widespread demand for change in a criminal justice system that for too long has not worked fairly for everyone. Rollins has promised to bring new solutions to the office that will break down wealth and racial disparities, keep communities safe and treat all people with dignity and respect.

“I am humbled by the trust the voters have placed in me to serve as Suffolk County’s next District Attorney,” said Rollins. “I am beyond grateful for the hard work of our volunteers and the support of our community over the last nine months since we launched this campaign. Voters sent a very clear signal today that our criminal justice system is not working for too many people and it’s time for a change. We will start by creating an office that adequately reflects the communities it serves and that is engaged with every neighborhood within the county. Then together we’ll make our criminal justice system better and work to strengthen relationships between communities and law enforcement.”

  • Two of Charlestown’s state elected officials, State Rep. Dan Ryan and Sen. Sal DiDomenico were unopposed, but prevailed with a good vote Tuesday.

Ryan got 6,793 votes in his unopposed race (Boston only), and DiDomenico (for Boston only) got 12,549 votes. DiDomenico also represents parts of Cambridge, Allston and all of Everett and Chelsea.

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