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| A still from the campaign commercial of Christy Mihos, independent candidate for governor, shows politicians burying their heads. Click to view the ad. |
At first, a caricature of Mihos asks a Big Dig engineer, “Why is the Big Dig $12 billion over budget?”
The engineer starts to reply, “Hmmn, well, you see ...” before he places his head between his legs and it disappears.
The Mihos character then asks the same question to a group, labeled “Massachusetts politicians” and standing in front of the Statehouse. The group includes two characters who resemble Gov. Mitt Romney and Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, the Republican gubernatorial nominee.
Their heads also disappear into their rears and several fall over as they lose their balance.
“Put an end to politics as usual in Massachusetts. Be independent. Vote Christy Mihos for governor,” the ad concludes.
The spot, which initially aired only after 10 p.m., is now being run statewide at all hours. It can also be seen on the Mihos campaign Web site.
Mihos' decision to buy time for the ad during daytime and prime-time television could upset some parents. But the edgy commercial — produced by the same agency that helped send former wrestler Jesse Ventura to the governor's office in Minnesota — has at least succeeded in getting Mihos, a Brockton native, noticed, analysts said.
“He's probably gotten more attention because of this ad than virtually anything he's done in this campaign,'' said Paul Watanabe, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts at Boston.
The ad has generated buzz throughout the region.
“We were just talking about it, a bunch of us in the neighborhood,” said Ann Marie Marcus, 42, of Easton, who saw the ad online for the first time Thursday.
And while some local residents found the ad creative, humorous and to the point, others said it crosses the line.
“It goes a little bit over the edge, to be honest,” said Bill Gillis of Brockton. “I think it's a little distasteful.”
While Gillis, a father of four, said Mihos got his message across, but the ad “seemed a little much for prime-time TV” and he would favor restricting the hours it is broadcast to screen it from children.
But “as a parent, I know they're going to see the same thing or something similar if they watch 'The Simpsons,'” Gillis said.
For Mihos, the ad hits home with his message.
“Some people are offended by this ad and they should be. They should be offended as to what's happened to the commonwealth,” Mihos said Thursday.
“The amount of money we put into that (Big Dig) project and the continuing problems we're facing each and every day, people should be offended by that,” he said.
Mihos said he plans to continue to air the ad, as well as others, leading up to the Nov. 7 election.
“We'll have new things as we go forward,” Mihos said, adding that most of the new ads will not be cartoons.
“But if something hits our fancy, and we think we can tell a story in a certain way and get our message out, we'll do that,” Mihos said.
Great-grandmother Virginia Foley of Brockton has seen the ad at least four times, and it still makes her laugh.
“It was terrific,” said Foley, 72, a retired hospital worker, as she chuckled. “I am very pleased that somebody finally has come out and spoken honestly, that that's where (state politicians) have got their heads.”
But Taunton City Councilor Donald Cleary said the ad does not send the right message and “doesn't do anything to improve the professionalism of politics.”
“People right now have a dislike of politicians, a concern about their honesty, their ethics, and I don't think that particular ad adds to dissolving that perception of the public,” Cleary said.
Others who heard about the ad had not seen it by Thursday.
“I'm dying to see it,” said Tanja Figueiredo, 46, of Brockton.
This story contains information from The Patriot Ledger. Maria Papadopoulos can be reached at mpapadopoulos@enterprisenews.com.
Mihos poised to play spoiler in November
BOSTON - The gubernatorial candidate closest to the governor’s office last night was Brockton native Christy Mihos, whose primary-day party was held across the street from the State House.
Mihos, running as an Independent, will face Democratic nominee Deval Patrick and Republican Kerry Healey in the Nov. 7 general election.
Some observers say Mihos’ candidacy could ruin Healey’s chances - of defeating Patrick.
“The Republicans have no margin for error,” said Andrew Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, which has been tracking the governor’s race.
Mihos said he will be an “honest broker” without a narrow party ideology.
“People are tired of the same old, same old that the two parties give them,” he said.
Mihos’ campaign strategy includes support of Proposition One, which would require 40 percent of annual state tax revenues be earmarked for local aid.
Mihos, who favors a rollback of the state income tax from 5.3 percent to 5 percent, said he also supports eliminating MCAS as a graduation requirement, removing all sport and activity fees from public schools, and providing free busing to all public school students in grades 1-12.
Mihos also said he strongly supports extending the Stoughton commuter rail line to New Bedford and Fall River.
Staff writer Maria Papadopoulos contributed to this story.
Mihos gets ready for general election
The gubernatorial candidate closest to the governor's office Tuesday night was Brockton native Christy Mihos, whose primary day party was held at his campaign headquarters across the street from the Statehouse in Boston.
As family, friends and campaign staffers prepared to watch the Democratic primary results, Mihos said he was ready to start his campaign in earnest.
As an independent candidate, he will go up against Deval L. Patrick, the Democratic nominee, and Kerry Healey, the GOP standard bearer, in the Nov. 7 contest for governor.
Mihos talked about two television ads that would begin running this week and he stressed his Massachusetts roots.
“We're the only two candidates that have been born and brought up in the commonwealth,” he said, referring to his running mate for lieutenant governor, attorney John J. Sullivan.
Some observers said his candidacy could ultimately ruin Healey's chances to become governor — by snatching a share of the moderate and independent vote she needs to beat Democrat Patrick.
“If (Mihos) stays right in it to the end, it will hurt Kerry Healey,” said Andrew Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, which has been polling the Massachusetts governor's race. “The Republicans have no margin for error.”
Despite the fact that Mihos was running in third place in last week's State House News Poll, Smith said the money Mihos was likely to spend in the race would ensure his visibility.
As an independent and self-described fiscal conservative, Mihos said he will be an “honest broker” without a narrow party ideology who can get things done.
“People are tired of the same old, same old that the two parties give them each and every day,” Mihos said.
Mihos' strategy to win votes includes his plan called Proposition One, which would dedicate 40 percent of annual state tax revenues for local aid. Brockton would receive $56 million more under the plan.
Mihos, who favors a rollback of the state income tax from 5.3 to 5 percent, said he would also support eliminating the MCAS as a graduation requirement, removing all sport and activity fees from public schools, and providing free busing to all public school students in grades 1 through 12.
Mihos also said he strongly supports extending the Stoughton commuter rail line to New Bedford and Fall River.
“Look what it did for Brockton,” he said.
John Berg, a professor of government at Suffolk University, said it was too early to know how Mihos' campaign will affect the election.
“It's unpredictable who it will really affect. Some early polling we did showed it would hurt the Democrats,” Berg said.
Staff writer Maria Papadopoulos contributed to this story.
Taunton could get boost from Patrick win
TAUNTON — Charles and Maggie Hauver have always voted Republican, except for Tuesday, when they switched for the first time and voted for Democrat Deval Patrick.
“We've seen the light,” Maggie Hauver said.
The Hauvers joined other city voters in helping Patrick triumph in the gubernatorial primary in Taunton with 3,124 votes, or 47 percent of the vote.
Tom Reilly came in second with 2,083 votes, while Chris Gabrieli lagged in third, garnering 1,425 votes.
And even though Maggie Hauver says she likes Republican gubernatorial nominee Kerry Healey, who was unopposed Tuesday, they are both voting for Patrick in the Nov. 7 general election.
“I like his ideas. He hasn't got some big dream. He has a good solid platform,” she said. “And he's not promising to give everything to everybody. You can't do that.”
Mayor Robert G. Nunes, who stood outside the polls at Holy Rosary Church where the Hauvers voted, helped carry Taunton for Patrick.
Nunes campaigned heavily for Patrick over the past year, hosted Patrick's visits to Taunton and even appeared briefly in one of Patrick's TV ads.
Nunes said Patrick will help communities with more local aid and more educational funding.
“He knows what the cities and towns are facing and the aid is crucial to their survival,” Nunes said.
“He will provide the leadership we need. We have not had a true partnership with the state under Republican rule for the past 16 years.”
Nunes said Patrick's victory was impressive in Taunton, which is traditionally a conservative city.
“It was a real grassroots effort, and we had a lot of first-time volunteers,” Nunes said.
Nunes also campaigned for Worcester Mayor Tim Murray, who captured the lieutenant's governor race to be Patrick's running mate. Murray took 40 percent of the Taunton vote.
Some voters said it was Patrick's ideas, clear message and newness that won them over.
“I like his views, and it's time for fresh blood,” said Carol Slater, voting at North Taunton Baptist Church.
Roland LeBrun said a good friend of his who is very knowledgeable about politics urged him to vote for Patrick.
“He said Patrick will benefit the construction industry we work for,” said LeBrun, voting at Assembly of God Church.
LeBrun said he also liked some ideas of Chris Gabrieli, but went with Patrick based on his economic stances.
The Hauvers said Patrick appealed to their family circumstances, even though they have always backed GOP candidates.
“We've always been staunch Republicans,” Maggie Hauver said. “We've always voted Republican until today.”
Maggie Hauver said Patrick did not promise to cut taxes because he says it will hurt people in need.
“The elderly and special needs children are always the first to get hurt when taxes are cut,” she said.
The couple adopted three special needs children, two of whom are in Taunton public schools.
Reilly had the backing of state Sen. Marc R. Pacheco, D-Taunton; state Rep. James H. Fagan, D-Taunton, campaigned for Reilly.
Not everyone was drawn to the polls Tuesday by a candidate or specific issue.
“I've always voted in every election,” said 82-year-old Anna Newbury, who voted at Martin Middle School in East Taunton.
“I'm independent and I took the Republican ballot,” she said.
Republican Lori Hixon said she voted because it is the responsibility of every citizen in a democracy.
“I don't have a right to complain if I don't vote. Look what's happening in other countries,” said Hixon, voting at Martin Middle School.
Local minorities say vote for Patrick not race based
Deval Patrick made history Tuesday by becoming the first African-American to win a major party's nomination for governor of Massachusetts. But local people of color who voted for him did not often mention race as the reason he won their support.
“We just need a change,” Prince Ezekiel, 66, of Randolph, said after he voted for Patrick at the high school there.
“I like what he's talking about,” added Cheryl Frazier, 61, also of Randolph.
It was too early to tell Tuesday night if Patrick's candidacy brought out more minority voters across the state.
But in Randolph, where 23.2 percent of residents are black or African-American, the turnout was among the highest in this region — 33.8 percent of registered voters cast ballots.
In Brockton, where 17.8 percent of the population is minority, turnout was more typical of the area — 25 percent.
One woman holding a Patrick sign outside the polls at South Junior High School in Brockton hoped people of color would support electing an African-American to lead the state.
“He knows how to talk to them,” said Lorrine Blick.
However, in Ward 2, Precinct A, the Brockton neighborhood with the largest minority population in the city, 69.1 percent, turnout was only 13 percent Tuesday. That was roughly half the 25 percent turnout citywide. The same precinct had the lowest turnout in last year's city election.
Still, Brockton poll worker Stella Hebshie was encouraged by the turnout there.
“We saw minority voters this (Tuesday) morning,” Hebshie said. “Even young people, young mothers voted. That's refreshing to see.”
It was a televised debate that made up her mind to vote for Patrick, said Auria Torres of Brockton.
“I was a strong Tom Reilly fan, until the debates,” she said.
Torres, who is Hispanic, said minority turnouts may be lower due to language barriers and a larger population of non-citizens. She said homeowners, like her, are more apt to vote because they have invested in the community.
Tina Solomon sat outside Brockton Precinct 2A's polls at the senior center, holding a Deval Patrick for Governor sign. She was hopeful other people of color would be motivated to vote for him.
“In NAACP meetings, we talked about that,” she said.
But a number of minority voters did not bring up race when asked why they supported Patrick.
“I don't vote for people because they're minorities,” said Theresa Solomon of Brockton, a native of the Dominican Republic.
Solomon, a registered Democrat and no relation to Tina Solomon, declined to say for whom she voted.
Other minority voters also praised the Democratic nominee.
Randolph resident Greg Thomas, 45, said of Patrick: “I like him. He seems sincere and less politician-like.”
Not all minority voters, however, cast ballots for Patrick.
Corrections officer Leah Ferreira of Taunton, who is black, said she was going to vote for Patrick, but her husband, David Ferreira, also a corrections officer, urged her to support Tom Reilly.
“My husband told me I should vote for Reilly because the (corrections officers) union supports him. We talked about it,” said Ferreia, who voted at Mulcahy Middle School.
She cast her ballot for Reilly, but she said, “I think Patrick had good plans for the schools.”
Staff writer Terence J. Downing contributed to this story. Elaine Allegrini can be reached at eallegrini@enterprisenews.com.
Win a source of pride for blacks
Deval Patrick’s primary victory ensures Bay State voters will make history in November: The next governor will be the first black man or the first woman elected to the state’s top job.
Both Republican Kerry Healey and Democrat Deval Patrick have downplayed their pioneering status. But to many black residents of the South Shore, the Milton Democrat’s primary victory is a source of pride.
“I’m super-elated that for the first time, we have a chance of seeing an extremely highly qualified black able to participate in the government of the commonwealth of Massachusetts in a most meaningful way,” said Herb Lyken, a Randolph resident and retired University of Massachusetts-Boston professor who has long been active in civil-rights causes.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am,” said Lyken, who is black. “I’m up in the sky.”
Lyken said he met Patrick years ago when Patrick was working at his first job out of law school.
“You could tell that he was on his way at the time, because he handled himself in an extremely professional manner,” Lyken said.
If elected, Patrick would become only the second black elected governor in U.S. history. Douglas Wilder, who was elected governor of Virginia in 1989, was the first.
Gina Walcott-Torres of Randolph voted for Patrick, but not out of any sense of racial solidarity. She is a lawyer with the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston and previously worked for former state Attorney General Scott Harshbarger.
“(Patrick’s) record and his philosophy match,” she said. His former role as a civil rights enforcer in the Clinton administration is particularly important, Walcott-Torres added.
“The fact he is a person of color is a plum, but it’s not the deciding factor for me,” she said.
Donna Stewartson, acting director of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at UMass-Boston, a black woman who lives in Dorchester, said she hopes that if Patrick wins the general election, he can help turn around beliefs that Massachusetts, and Boston in particular, are unwelcoming to blacks.
“Certainly, the perception, I think, for African-Americans (has) a negative spin because of the busing history, however Boston is a wonderful place to live.”
Stewartson said she hoped Patrick also would inspire young people in the black community to aim high.
“It shows that you can come from a background where you don’t have a lot economically, and make it in the business world and make it in the political world,” she said.
Julie Jette may be reached at jjette@ledger.com.
Four candidates aim to get word out to voters
Seven weeks, four candidates, three debates and thousands of TV ads. That’s what faces Massachusetts voters before they elect a new governor on Nov. 7.
Deval Patrick of Milton began his first day as the Democratic nominee with a meet-and-greet with voters this morning at the Back Bay commuter rail stop in Boston.
In a battle of millionaires, Patrick will be taking on Republican Kerry Healey and Independent Christy Mihos in the general election. Green-Rainbow Party candidate Grace Ross is also on the ballot.
Patrick, who took 50 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, aims to become the state’s first black governor. Healey could become the first woman elected governor in the state.
Issues that will divide the candidates:
—Healey wants to lower the state income tax rate while Patrick and Mihos want to focus instead on property tax relief.
—Patrick supports in-state college tuition rates for the children of illegal immigrants, and allowing illegal aliens to get driver’s licenses so that they can get to work. Healey and Mihos are opposed.
Patrick, 50, hopes to pre-empt Republican attacks that he is too liberal by stressing his background as a corporate lawyer.
Healey, 46, of Beverly, the lieutenant governor, maintains the Bay State needs a Republican governor to check the overwhelmingly Democratic Legislature, and says that she is the only candidate committed to rolling back the state income tax to 5 percent and reducing state spending.
Mihos, 57, a convenience store magnate, is planning a $500,000 advertising blitz over the next 10 days to get his name before voters.
Turnout tops estimates at some polls
Patricia Latortue does not always vote, but she cast a ballot Tuesday in Brockton because she wants “change” in government. She voted for Deval Patrick for the Democratic nomination for governor.
Latortue was among the voters in the city who pushed the turnout higher than expected. In Brockton, 25 percent of registered voters cast ballots Tuesday, according to city Election Commissioner John McGarry, who had expected no more than 22 percent would vote.
“It was better than anticipated. I think it's a good turnout,” said McGarry, who added, however, it should be even better.
Turnout across the region ranged from a low of 16 percent in Berkley to a high of 47 percent in Plymouth, where ballot questions drew voters to the polls.
Randolph was second-highest with a 33.8 percent turnout.
Six area towns drew less than 20 percent of registered voters: Berkley, Lakeville, Middleboro, Raynham, Bridgewater and Carver.
Taunton's turnout was 22 percent.
Chuck Adler of Carver, where the turnout was just 19 percent, cast his ballot at the high school there.
“I'm a registered Democrat and I voted for Deval Patrick,” he said. “He's not a politician and doesn't owe any favors on Beacon Hill.”
Joseph Dansereau voted in Carver as well. He would not reveal who got his vote, but said, “I have to vote. If I don't vote, then I can't complain.”
In Easton, the turnout was 22 percent, with 3,121 of the town's 14,350 voters going to the polls.
Sarah Carey, 37, voted there accompanied by her son, Nathaniel, 16 months.
“As a person of color, it's my obligation,” Carey said about her duty as a citizen to cast ballots. “People fought hard so I could have the right to vote.”
But Carey said she didn't vote for Patrick. “I guess I broke that rule,” she said with a laugh.
SEPT. 19 PRIMARY: Quiet at the polls
Braintree
Chris Gabrieli may want to consider a special thank-you rally for his supporters in Braintree.
The town was the largest of the South Shore communities to fall in Gabrieli’s pocket. He edged out Attorney General Thomas Reilly by about 400 votes, garnering 38 percent of the ballots cast compared with Reilly’s 33 percent. Overall winner Deval Patrick finished third, with 29 percent.
“It was very rewarding to be in a room full of supporters knowing that our town backed him and he was extremely grateful,” said Selectman Joseph Powers, who headed Gabrieli’s campaign effort in Braintree.
Richard Sweeney was another Braintree resident who voted for Gabrieli. He said he felt Gabrieli was the most straightforward when it came to talking about issues such as taxes.
“I like what he stands for,” said Sweeney.
Moore Dodge said he voted for Reilly because he felt Reilly was “the most down-to-earth, easy to relate to.”
Despite the sunny skies and warm temperatures, the town’s polling locations were quiet for most of the day, although the 35 percent turnout was greater than predicted.
“I’ve seen a lot of people with white hair,” quipped one poll worker.
Canton
The primary was a quiet affair in Canton. Voters trickled into and out of the polls but there were few supporters holding signs for candidates, no hand-waving or horn-honking. Especially hard to find was any visible campaigning for the Democratic candidates for governor.
“I at least expected more sign-holders and supporters for Patrick, Gabrieli or Reilly,” said Richard Rosen, who cast a ballot at Canton High School.
Supporters and voters increased at the polls after 5 p.m. when residents headed home from work. Voter turnout stood at about 29 percent of Canton’s 13,548 registered voters.
Many of those interviewed were split between Gabrieli and Patrick.
Rosen said he voted for Gabrieli because he had good ideas and came across as a decent person.
Patrick edged out Gabrieli in Canton by 326 votes.
Cohasset
In the spirit of the secret ballot he just cast, 18-year-old Michael Corry was keeping his candidate choices to himself.
But as he left the polling place at Cohasset Town Hall shortly after 5 p.m. Sept. 19, he said it felt good to vote for the first time.
Asked if he picked a winner, he said, “I hope so.”
He became eligible to vote June 3, when he turned 18, and subsequently registered as unenrolled, he said, and chose to take a Democratic ballot.
“I wish more kids my age would vote. I think it’s important,” Corry said.
Among more seasoned voters, registered Democrat Jean L. Lennon said she considered the governor’s race the most important on the Democratic ballot.
But she declined to divulge whether Patrick, Gabrieli or Thomas Reilly got her vote.
The race is “so contentious,” Lennon said explaining her reticence. “People feel so strongly about one or the other - probably lose some of my friends if I say,” she said, smiling.
Mary J. Kennedy, an independent, said she took a Democratic ballot:
“I lean toward Republicans but I think I should have a say in who’s going to be the Democratic nominee.” Reilly got her vote, she said.
For state representative, Democratic incumbent Garrett Bradley ran unopposed for the nomination. There was no name on the Republican ballot. Hingham Republican Robert R. Green Jr.’s write-in/sticker campaign received 12 votes.
Duxbury
Town Clerk Nancy Oates said business was steady throughout the day, but that the number of voters was not overwhelming.
In the end, about 23 percent, or 2,354, of Duxbury’s 10,364 registered voters cast ballots.
Hanover
William Flynn just can’t get enough of elections. Even though he is no longer Hanover’s town clerk, he still votes every chance he gets.
That meant a vote for Patrick.
“I met him at a Democratic town meeting,” Flynn said as he left the polls. “I thought he was a person worthy of having a shot at it.”
Senior registrar Nancy Goldthwait described the day as “slow-steady.” By the end of the night, nearly 30 percent of registered voters had cast ballots.
Goldthwait said the governor’s race appeared to have drawn many people to the polls.
While Patrick won the nomination, he didn’t win the Hanover race. That honor went to Gabrieli, who received 893 votes to Patrick’s 818.
Robert Smith voted for Gabrieli, and he said he votes all the time, too, but for a different reason.
“I come all the time because I can’t stand the liberals in the state,” he said.
Hingham
Robert Green will find out today if he will be on the ballot in November, but either way, he learned a lot from his campaign.
Green, a Republican, launched a sticker campaign several months ago in order to get on ballot against state Rep. Garrett Bradley, D-Hingham, who was unopposed in the primary.
Election officials in Scituate, Hull, Hingham and Cohasset will confirm today the number of write-in votes Green received, but preliminary results last night showed he did not receive the 150 votes necessary to be on the ballot in November.
“What I’m seeing is that Democrats wanted this election more,” Green said.
He said the response to his campaign was mostly positive.
“In a lot of write-in campaigns, you just get people to sign a petition to get you on the ballot,” Green said. “In this election, I’ve found you need to be able to prove to the voter that you stand for something other than shouting slogans.”
Hull
A former FDR voter, Theodora “Teddy” Augenstern didn’t let recuperation from a summer surgery keep her from the polls.
A Hull resident since the early 1940s, Augenstern said she’s an independent but drew a Democratic ballot to cast a vote in the governor’s race.
“That was my main objective in coming,” she said outside the polls at the Memorial Middle School. She declined to reveal if she gave Patrick, the runaway choice among Hull Democrats, or challengers Gabrieli and Reilly, a vote.
Now 93, Augenstern said she has voted faithfully over the years, supported Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s and especially admired his wife, Eleanor.
Democrat Irene Cohen said she followed the advice of her more politically aware sister, Bernice, in voting. The 57-year Hull resident said she supported Patrick and gave Deborah Goldberg, a Brookline resident like her sister, her vote among the three candidates for lieutenant governor.
“I don’t know why I’m here. I’m a Republican,” Rodney W. Young exclaimed as he turned to another man passing by as he walked into the polls.
Later, after voting, Young, noting the lone ballot contest for Republicans, said he gave Kenneth G. Chase a vote for the U.S. Senate nomination over Kevin P. Scott.
The last among more than 1,900 voters to cast a ballot, Paul Riggs arrived moments before the polls closed.
Riggs, who’s in his 70s, said he met some traffic as he drove from Manchester, N.H.
“I’d be disappointed in myself if I didn’t vote,” said Riggs, who chose Gabrieli.
Kingston
Paul Curtis defeated Olavo deMacedo for the Republican nomination for the 12th Plymouth District representative’s seat. While write-in candidate deMacedo, of Kingston, won handily in his hometown, 341 votes to 154, results were mixed in the district’s five other towns. Curtis won easily in his hometown of Plymouth.
The voter turnout in Kingston was fairly light, but still exceeded Town Clerk Mary Lou Murzyn’s expectations. Twenty-six percent, or 2,116, of Kingston’s 8,106 registered voters cast ballots.
Norwell
Jean Snow has been working at primary elections in Norwell for more than 40 years.
One year she spent all night counting ballots, returning home just as her husband left for work in the morning.
That was before electronic ballot boxes. Now, in the age of technology, the biggest problem during the election at Norwell Middle School was voters lining up in the wrong precinct.
“I feel like people are mostly coming out for the Democrats. It’s been steady, but slower than in previous years,” Snow said, referring to years when both Republicans and Democrats had contentious races.
“Other than checking write-in ballots, we should be done tonight about an hour after the polls close,” Snow said.
It was predicted that 20 percent of registered voters would turn out in Norwell for the primary, but the turnout was 25 percent.
Marshfield
There was one question on everyone’s mind at the Furnace Brook Middle School, Marshfield’s sole polling place: Whose idea was it to have the middle school open house on election night?
“Not mine,” Town Clerk Patti Picco said, slightly amused, as people filed into the gym to cast their ballots.
A good parking spot was nearly impossible to find last night, so middle-school parents and voters got creative. They ditched their cars on lawns, in fire lanes and just about anywhere they could.
Although the open house created a logistical mess, it may have boosted the voter turnout, Picco said. -Nearly 24 percent of the town’s registered voters - 4,040 people - voted. Town elections typically draw about 15 percent.
Picco called the turnout “incredible.”
“That’s a big number,” she said.
Milton
A steady stream of Milton residents headed to the polls, with more than half casting ballots for Patrick, the town’s first home-grown candidate for governor since 1974.
“It looks like our neighbor did it,” said Bill Edwards, who cast his vote for Patrick at Milton High School.
Edwards said he didn’t vote for Patrick solely because he is a Milton resident, though he said it couldn’t hurt to have a town resident in office.
“He’s a fresh face and smart,” Edwards said.
Claudie Jean-Baptiste, a Cambridge teacher, said she voted for Patrick because of his stance on issues, not his race.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with color,” said Jean-Baptiste, who is black. “It has to do with values, and the person and changes.”
Steven Morash, a Patrick campaign worker, said they expected to win Milton but did not want to take promises of support for granted.
“The only ones you can trust are the ones who tell you no,” Morash said.
More than 48 percent of the town’s registered voters turned out at the polls.
Town Clerk James Mullen Jr. said the turnout was excellent, especially since cities and towns statewide usually average much less.
Milton has had a strong showing for primaries before. In the 2002 primary, half of the registered voters turned out.
Pembroke
By Karen Kilgallon’s logic, four out of every five registered voters in Pembroke lost the right to complain about government.
“If you don’t get out to vote, you shouldn’t complain,” Kilgallon said after casting her ballot at town hall.
For a primary election, the 21 percent turnout was typical, Town Clerk Donna Pratt said.
But with sunny skies and an exciting race between three Democratic candidates for governor, some voters thought 21 percent was unexpectedly low.
“I would think it would be really high on a day like today,” said postal worker Paul Hansen, who went to the polls right after work to vote for Gabrieli for governor.
Plymouth
It was Patrick’s demeanor, not his stance on issues, that swayed Gail Whitehouse to vote for him.
“There was just something about him,” she said. “He was clean-cut and well-spoken. They can all say what they want, but it’s what they do that counts.”
Whitehouse, 60, voted as most did in Plymouth, where Patrick clinched a wide margin over both Gabrieli and Reilly.
Lois Atherton, 49, liked Patrick’s range of experience and intelligence.
Jackie Millar, 45, was tempted to vote for Patrick. But she stuck to her initial pick and voted for Reilly.
“He’s a decent human being,” she said. “I stayed with him and felt good about my vote.”
Plymouth voters showed up in droves, posting a 47 percent turnout largely driven by a tax override question to fund new school construction, which was passed.
Town Clerk Laurence Pizer said primaries usually bring about 15 to 20 percent of voters to the polls.
Quincy
The support of Mayor William Phelan and much of the city’s political establishment wasn’t enough to push Gabrieli to even a moral victory in Quincy.
Expected to be stronghold for Gabrieli, Quincy backed Patrick for the Democratic nomination for governor by a slim 94-vote margin. Phelan joined a number of the city’s major political players in the summer by backing Gabrieli, while other groups of politicians moved toward Patrick or stuck with the initial front-runner, Reilly.
State Treasurer Timothy Cahill backed Patrick in the later stages of the race, with Ward 4 City Councilor Jay Davis and Norfolk County Register of Probate Patrick McDermott among the most visible early Patrick supporters.
City Clerk Joseph Shea said the 28 percent voter turnout was slightly higher than he had predicted, and he reported no major problems with the vote.
Randolph
Voter backing of Patrick was a little stronger than his statewide tally, with the Democratic gubernatorial nominee capturing 51.6 percent of the local vote in the three-way race with Gabrieli and Reilly.
Town Clerk Brian Howard said he noticed many new faces when he visited the polling places, and his office received many calls the Monday before the primary, from residents checking on where to vote.
“I think the Patrick campaign energized voters who have traditionally not voted in primaries,” Howard said.
It wasn’t a case of Patrick’s supporters increasing the voter turnout. Just over a third of the town’s registered voters cast ballots, down from 36 percent four years ago. The 2002 primary also featured a Republican contest for governor, and two Democratic primary contests for seats in the Legislature.
There’s no question the governor’s race is what drew voters to the polls, with just 30 blanks and write-ins in the race among the 5,428 ballots cast.
With only one low-profile contest, for the U.S. Senate nomination, Republicans stayed away from the polls for the most part. Only 209 Republican ballots were cast in the primary in a town with 1,208 registered Republicans.
Voters favored Deb Goldberg in her bid for lieutenant governor, and strongly supported Democratic incumbents Secretary of State William Galvin and U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch over their primary opponents.
Rockland
At the high school where hometown candidate Lisa Clark once studied, voters turned out in strong support of her bid to become a member of the Plymouth County Commission.
Neighbors handed Clark, Rockland’s town collector, nearly seven of every 10 votes, but the rest of the county wasn’t so generous, and incumbent Timothy McMullen of Pembroke easily won the Democratic nomination.
In a crowded parking lot at Rockland High School in the evening, Clark’s 10-year-old daughter, Anna, and Clark’s sister Margie Dunham were smiling and waving Clark campaign signs.
“We’re just out here to be a friendly face and get some attention for my sister,” Dunham said.
The voter turnout was 25 percent. Residents voted at the high school and Esten Elementary School.
Phyllis O’Donnell, 77, said she is always part of the minority that turns out to vote.
“Some people say, ‘Who gives a hoot?’” O’Donnell said. “Well, I do.”
Scituate
Asked which candidate she voted for, Pat Baker slapped a round blue sticker on her shirt: Deval Patrick.
It was his integrity that put him above the rest in her eyes, “which is a scarce commodity these days,” she said.
“Second that,” said one of her friends, raising her hand.
“Third it?” she asked another friend, who agreed. Both of the friends declined to be named.
Signs for Patrick were a few of many lining the driveway of Scituate High School, where voters cast their ballots.
People in their cars rolled down their windows and hollered “Hi, Frank!” to Rep. Frank Hynes, who stood on a traffic island holding a sign although he ran unopposed in the primary and has no challenger in the general election.
“I believe the way you conduct yourself as you run for office says to people, ‘This is the way I’ll conduct myself while I’m in office,’” he said, saying he’d be hard-working on his constituents’ behalf. “It’s fun. You don’t see a lot of people except every two years.”
The turnout was steady but fairly light, Town Clerk Bernice Brown said. Nearly 27 percent of registered voters visited the polls by the end of the night.
Scituate poll workers were tallying votes well past midnight because of a sticker candidate, Robert Green, opposing Garrett Bradley for state representative in one of the town’s precincts.
Sharon
From campaigners to voters to poll workers, there was one common theme that characterized the day in Sharon: busy.
Poll worker Hy Lamb showed up to Sharon High School, the town’s lone polling place, at 6:30 a.m. The lines held steady throughout the day, giving him plenty to do.
“There was a short lull at noon, but it was busy until the polls closed,” said Lamb, walking out of the polls at 8:30 p.m. Lamb and his wife, Marilyn, have worked the polls for the last 15 years.
“I love it - it’s a wonderful service we do,” he said.
The after-work crowd continued to flow into the voting booths and several people had to be turned away as the polls closed.
Voter turnout was a little higher - at 31 percent - than Town Clerk Marlene Chused predicted.
“Sharon is a voting community,” said Margie Asnes, one of a handful of volunteers for the Patrick campaign who waited at Sharon High School for the results to be announced. When they were, Patrick supporters were pleased. Their candidate beat out his closest rival, Gabrieli, by nearly 2 to 1, or 2,009 to 1,020.
“We worked very hard,” said Jane Desbert, a Patrick volunteer.
Weymouth
The final hour of primary voting was interrupted last night when the lights went out in the Chapman Middle School gym.
Election officials helped voters by holding flashlights and guiding them to booths until the lights came back on 15 minutes later. The power running to the electronic ballot box did not go out.
Although Weymouth Mayor David Madden was an early supporter of Attorney General Reilly, the town’s voters preferred Patrick by 360 votes to Reilly, who finished third. Patrick finished 173 votes ahead of second-place finisher Gabrieli.
In the lieutenant governor primary, however, Weymouth voters handily picked Worcester Mayor Tim Murray, whom Madden had also endorsed. Murray trounced second-place finisher Deb Goldberg by 786 votes.
While lines were steady most of the day, workers were surprised at the number of voters, which seemed more than previous years for a primary election.
Kate McDonagh took three of her children with her to vote, and spent some time explaining the difference between a primary and general election to her son Kyle, who is learning about government in his fifth-grade class.
“I like to bring the kids and show them how important voting is,” McDonagh said. “If everyone sits at home saying that their vote doesn’t count, what would happen?”
The turnout in Weymouth was 30 percent.
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