Massachusetts primary results: Diehl, Driscoll, Campbell, Galvin, DiZoglio prevail

Voters in Massachusetts picked Democratic and Republican nominees ahead of a general election that will result in turnover for at least four of the six statewide constitutional offices.

✅ indicates the Associated Press has projected a winner.

MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR

The incumbent governor, Republican Charlie Baker, is not seeking a third term.

Note that state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz remained on the Democratic ballot, although she ended her campaign in June. Attorney General Maura Healey was the only active Democratic candidate for governor.

On the Republican side, former state Rep. Geoff Diehl, who has support from former President Trump, defeated entrepreneur Chris Doughty.

MASSACHUSETTS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

The incumbent, Republican Karyn Polito, is not seeking a third term. On the Republican ballot, former state Rep. Kate Campanale was Doughty's pick for lieutenant governor, while former state Rep. Leah Allen was Diehl's pick.

For the Democrats, the field included state Sen. Eric Lesser of Longmeadow, state Rep. Tami Gouveia of Acton, and Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll.

Lesser conceded to Driscoll around 10 p.m.

"Politics is up and down, elections are up and down," Lesser said. "But the vision and the ideas that we put forward in this campaign clearly resonated, especially in western Mass. The numbers really show that."

Adam Frenier

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NEPM

MASSACHUSETTS ATTORNEY GENERAL

This is an open contest, as incumbent Maura Healey is running for governor. Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell prevailed over labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan in the Democratic primary. Note that Quentin Palfrey remained on the ballot, although he ended his campaign last week.

Campbell will face trial attorney Jay McMahon in November.

File photo / Michael Dwyer

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AP

MASSACHUSETTS SECRETARY OF STATE

Secretary of State William Galvin has defeated lawyer and Boston NAACP President Tanisha Sullivan in the Democratic primary. Galvin, seeking an eighth term, was the only incumbent statewide officeholder to face a primary challenge.

Galvin will face Republican Rayla Campbell in the general election.

MASSACHUSETTS STATE AUDITOR

This is an open contest, as incumbent Suzanne Bump is not running for reelection. State Sen. Diana DiZoglio defeated former state transportation official Chris Dempsey in the Democratic primary.

DiZoglio will face Republican Anthony Amore, a museum security expert and former federal agent.

GOVERNOR'S COUNCIL

Democrats are picking their nominee to succeed the retiring western Massachusetts representative on the Governor's Council, Mary Hurley, a former Springfield mayor and judge.

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SHNS

Early Wednesday morning, the race was too close to call, with North Adams School Committee member Tara Jacobs narrowly ahead of lawyer and Springfield City Councilor Mike Fenton. Trailing farther behind were Shawn Allyn of Agawam, a partner at a Holyoke law firm, and attorney Jeff Morneau of East Longmeadow.

The winner will face Republican John Comerford of Palmer in November.

LEGISLATURE

There were five contested primaries in western Massachusetts for the state Legislature, all on the Democratic side. That includes two contested state primaries for open state Senate seats. State Rep. Paul Mark beat former small business owner Huff Templeton for the district currently represented by Adam Hinds, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor.

In a Senate seat vacated by another candidate for lieutenant governor, Eric Lesser, two candidates sought the Democratic nomination, with state Rep. Jake Oliveira prevailing against former congressional and campaign aide Sydney Levin-Epstein.

There was one contested state House primary in western Massachusetts without an incumbent in the mix. In Chicopee, veteran and former congressional aide Shirley Arriaga defeated City Councilor Joel McAuliffe in the Democratic primary. Arriaga had the support of retiring state Rep. Joe Wagner.

On Tuesday night, Arriaga said her victory was the result of hard work and asking voters what changes they want to see in Chicopee.

"I think that was really the key. And I was able to form a bond with my community and they showed up today and they proved that they were behind me," Arriaga said. "And I am just truly humbled."

That's a lesson Arriaga said she would take with her to Beacon Hill. But first, she has to get by unenrolled candidate Sean Goonan in November.

Two incumbent state representatives have challengers in the primary. In northern Berkshire County, Rep. John Barrett handily defeated challenger Paula Kingsbury-Evans, a recent gradate of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

State Rep. Bud Williams of Springfield held off former labor union coordinator Jynai McDonald by about 30 percentage points.

SHERIFFS

Two western Massachusetts sheriffs faced primary challenges this year. Berkshire County's Tom Bowler defeated Alf Barbalunga, chief probation officer in the Southern Berkshire District Court.

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NEPM

"We strive to create a community that's safer, healthier and stronger. And it just resonated with the voters," Bowler said Tuesday night.

During the campaign, Barbalunga criticized Bowler for not restarting an work release program more quickly after the COVID shutdown, and for relocating female inmates to a correctional center in Chicopee.

In Hampshire County, Sheriff Patrick Cahillane held off a primary challenge from two former employees at the jail: Caitlin Sepeda and Yvonne Gittelson.

Cahillane said Tuesday night he was not surprised by the relatively tough Democratic primary.

"I fully expected this to be a full race," he said in an interview. "One of the things with the Hampshire County community is people are engaged, and they make decisions based on what they believe in."

In both contested races for sheriff, no Republican candidate filed to run.

BERKSHIRE DISTRICT ATTORNEY

One western Massachusetts district attorney trailed a primary challenger on Tuesday. First-term Berkshire DA Andrea Harrington appeared headed for defeat against trial attorney Timothy Shugrue. No Republican candidate filed for this race.

Nancy Eve Cohen

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NEPM

This story contains reporting from the State House News Service and the Associated Press.

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