Baker Edges Coakley in Ultra-Close Race

| November 5, 2014 | Election 2014 | No Comments

Story Updated 3:44PM Wednesday, November 5, 2014

– Allison Goldsberry

The gubernatorial race between Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Charlie Baker ended on Wednesday when Coakley conceded the race, which Baker won by 40,000 votes (about 1%).

In Coakley’s hometown of Medford, she received 59% of the vote, compared to Baker’s 36%, according to The Boston Globe.

First time candidate Nick Lanzilli, who ran as an independent for an open state rep seat, lost to Somerville’s Christine Barber. The 24-year-old earned around 44% of the vote compared to Barber’s 56%, according to unofficial results from The Boston Globe.

Lanzilli thanked his supporters in a tweet Tuesday night.

“Thank you to all my voters and supporters. We run a great race, but we came up short.”

In other local races, Senator Patricia Jehlen and State Representative Sean Garballey, both Democrats, successfully fended off their Republican challengers. State Rep. Paul Donato was unopposed, as was Congresswoman Katherine Clark. US Senator Edward Markey also defeated his Republican opponent.

According to published reports, the ballot question asking voters to repeal law allowing casinos failed. Fifty-three percent of Medford voters said no to the question, while 47% said yes.

A casino is currently being planned for neighboring Everett. Wynn Resorts, the casino developer, released the following statement Tuesday night:

“Tonight, we get to work on creating four thousand great paying careers and generating millions of dollars in tax revenues to businesses throughout Massachusetts. While it has been a long process, the benefits to everyone in the Commonwealth will be worth it. We thank the voters for their support and look forward to uniting with our neighbors to build a destination resort that all of us will be proud of.”

Voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot question in support of allowing workers to earn and use sick time. Medford voters were also in favor of that measure by a large margin.

Unofficial results released by City Clerk Ed Finn show a 54% turnout for Medford. In 2010, the turnout was 57%.

More unofficial results for Medford are available on The Globe’s website.