State Primary Election On Tuesday, September 3rd

JohnCarl McGrady •

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Democratic State Representative candidates Arielle Reid Faria, left, and Thomas Moakley.

Massachusetts’ state primary elections, highlighted on a local level by a competitive race for State House representative, will take place Tuesday, with the polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Nantucket High School.

With Nantucket’s current representative in the State House, Dylan Fernandes, leaving to run unopposed in the Democratic primary for the Plymouth and Barnstable State Senate seat, the Democratic party must choose a new nominee Tuesday. The two contenders are former Cape and Islands assistant district attorney Thomas Moakley and Martha’s Vineyard Island Housing Trust project and program development manager Arielle Reid Faria.

Moakley is endorsed by Fernandes, Cape and Islands District Attorney Rob Galibois and Nantucket Sherrif 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, running as a political outsider, has 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 is also endorsed by former Nantucket Housing Director Tucker Holland. Faria has focused her campaign on affordable housing, climate change and coastal resiliency, and transportation and infrastructure.

No one has filed to run for the Republican or Libertarian nomination, meaning that whoever wins Tuesday’s Democratic primary is essentially guaranteed to replace Fernandes in the State House.

The only other competitive race on the ballot is the Republican contest to challenge Elizabeth Warren for a seat in the United States Senate. Web developer Robert J Antonellis, Quincy City Councillor Ian Cain, and attorney John Deaton are all vying for the nomination—but no matter who wins, Warren will be heavily favoured in November. Her last opponent, Geoff Diehl, managed just over 36% of the vote in 2018.

A number of uncontested primaries, including for the House of Representatives, the State Senate, and the Governor’s Council will also be held Tuesday.

Preview the sample ballots by clicking here. 

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