Moakley Claims Victory Over Faria In Primary For Democratic State Rep Seat

Former Cape and Islands assistant district attorney Thomas Moakley, of Falmouth, claimed victory Tuesday over candidate Arielle Faria, of Martha's Vineyard, in the Democratic primary race for the state representative seat being vacated by Dylan Fernandes.

Preliminary results late Tuesday showed that Moakley received 3,499 ballots to Faria's 2,699.

Nantucket's Democratic primary voters backed Moakley by a wide margin - 476 to 315 - and while Faria was the top choice on her home island of Martha's Vineyard, Moakley built a substantial lead in his hometown of Falmouth.

Fernandes announced in late 2023 that he will seek a state senate seat after four terms representing Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and areas of Falmouth in the State House of Representatives. It is the most geographically diverse district in Massachusetts featuring the two islands and parts of Cape Cod.

“I couldn’t have done it without all the people in this room, without all the incredible hard work,” Moakley told supporters at the Captain Kidd in Woods Hole on election night, according to a report from The Martha's Vineyard Times.

While Faria accumulated 1,444 votes across the Vineyard's four largest towns, winning majorities in each, Moakley's performance in Falmouth, where he claimed 1,746 votes to Faria's 453, led to his victory. 

Moakley was endorsed by Fernandes, Cape and Islands District Attorney Rob Galibois, and Nantucket Sherriff Jim Perelman, among others. Moakley has prioritized the opioid epidemic, women’s reproductive rights, climate-resilient infrastructure, and affordable housing in his campaign. Moakley, who ran unsuccessfully for the same State Senate seat Fernandes is now seeking in 2020, also has the support of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund.

Faria, Martha’s Vineyard Island Housing Trust project and program development manager who ran as a political outsider, had amassed a collection of endorsements from progressive groups including Progressive Massachusetts and Massachusetts’ chapters of Planned Parenthood, the AFL-CIO, and the Sierra Club. Faria was also endorsed by former Nantucket Housing Director Tucker Holland. Faria focused her campaign on affordable housing, climate change and coastal resiliency, and transportation and infrastructure.

Just 11.2 percent of Nantucket's 8,732 registered voters turned out to vote in the primary, perhaps reflecting the fact that neither candidate in the contested state representative race were from Nantucket.

Below are the final numbers for Nantucket voting in the state primary from Town Clerk Nancy Holmes: