Brownsberger wins state Senate primary

December 14, 2011|By Jaclyn Reiss, Globe Correspondent

WATERTOWN - State Representative William Brownsberger won the Democratic primary in the special state Senate election last night for the Second Suffolk and Middlesex District, capturing 33 percent of the vote for the seat Steven Tolman vacated.

With no Republicans in the race, Brownsberger is expected to be unopposed in the final election. However, other candidates could get on the Jan. 10 ballot by drawing at least 300 write-in votes in their party’s primary.

The district covers Watertown, Belmont, and parts of Cambridge, as well as precincts in Boston’s Allston-Brighton, Fenway, and Back Bay neighborhoods.

Brownsberger won with a large turnout in his hometown of Belmont, where nearly one-third of registered voters went to the polls and the candidate captured 68 percent of the votes. He also was the winner in Cambridge, winning over a third of votes cast there.

“I feel very fortunate that the people of this district gave me their votes,’’ Brownsberger said.

Tolman vacated his seat in October to head up the state’s AFL-CIO.

State Representative Jonathan Hecht followed with 26 percent of the vote. Retired firefighter and union leader Robert McCarthy finished third with 22 percent, while Brighton resident and attorney Timothy Schofield came in last with 19 percent.

Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter @WalthamUpdate.