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Boston's Morning Newsletter
The morning after: Where the big races in Mass. and New England stand so far
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Hope you didn’t stay up too late last night waiting for results or watching The Needle. As expected, the votes are still being tallied in some of the biggest midterm races, from Arizona to Georgia.
Nationally, there was no big red wave, though the House still looks like it will tip into Republican hands, while Democrats seem favored to hold control of the Senate. Check out NPR’s live blog for the latest on what we do (and don’t) know, and follow our race tracker on the WBUR homepage.
It’s been slow-going tallying up the votes here in Massachusetts, as well — though at least some of the biggest results are in. Let’s get to it, and look at what happened in greater New England, too:
Making history
Call her governor-elect. Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey became the first female and first openly gay person elected governor of Massachusetts last night. Healey is also the first lesbian elected to be governor in the history of the country. (Oregon’s Tina Kotek could soon become a close second if her lead holds.)
- In her victory speech, Healey said her priority will be to make Massachusetts “more affordable,” pledging to cut taxes (she’s specifically said she’ll push for the stalled tax relief package on Beacon Hill). Healey also said she’ll further invest in education, transportation and clean energy jobs. She is slated to meet with outgoing Gov. Charlie Baker to begin the transition today.
- FYI: If you’re wondering how The Associated Press called Healey’s win over Republican Geoff Diehl within seconds of polls closing at 8 p.m., here are the details of their race-calling methodology.
The history didn’t end at the top of the ballot. Healey was elected alongside her running mate, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, making them the first all-women tandem in Massachusetts history to serve as governor and lieutenant governor. (They also tied for first in the nation last night with Arkansas’ newly elected GOP duo, governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders and LG-elect Leslie Rutledge.)
- Former Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell won the race to succeed Healey as the state’s attorney general, becoming the first Black woman to win a statewide office in Massachusetts.
- Secretary of State Bill Galvin also made his own kind of history, winning a historic eighth term. That means once inaugurated, he will break former Secretary Frederic Cook’s record of 28 straight years in statewide office.
- While the open state auditor’s race hasn’t officially been called, GOP candidate Anthony Amore has conceded to Democratic state Sen. Diana DiZoglio. Treasurer Deb Goldberg, who faced only a Libertarian challenger, also coasted to a third term.
- And big news from Bristol County: The county’s longtime Trump-supporting Republican sheriff, Thomas Hodgson, has conceded to his Democratic challenger, Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux. (The AP has not called the race yet.)
The ballot questions:
With over 85% of precincts reporting, three of the four questions on the ballot in Massachusetts still remain too close to call. Question 1 — the long-sought ballot measure to increase the state income tax from 5% to 9% on annual income over $1 million — is locked in a surprisingly close race, though the “yes” side retains a slim lead.
- If that lead holds, the new surtax will take effect beginning with the 2023 tax year and is estimated to generate upwards of $1.3 billion a year for public education and transportation. While state lawmakers have final say on how exactly that money is spent, Healey has pledged to veto any attempts to divert the funding.
Voters did overwhelming approve Question 2, which will subject dental insurance companies in the state to a 83% “medical loss ratio.” In other words, they’ll have to devote at least 83% of premiums on dental care (rather than things like marketing and executive salaries). If any company doesn’t, they’ll have to issue rebates to their customers.
- What’s next: The law doesn’t take effect until 2024. Third-party experts say it could result in slightly higher co-insurance costs for some patients, but don’t expect the overall impact to be dramatic.
Meanwhile, voters appear poised to reject Question 3, which was a compromise proposal from liquor stores to gradually double the number of licenses a single company could have to sell beer and wine. It’s still too close to call, but the “no” side has a 10-point lead.
Voters also seem to be on the verge of affirming the state’s new law allowing undocumented immigrants to get a drivers license in Massachusetts. While the results are closer than earlier polls suggested, the “yes” side on Question 4 — which would keep the law in place — has a slight lead.
Around New England
While Republicans will pick up some seats in the House, none of them have been in New England. Democrats held on to several districts where the GOP hoped to make gains, including Rhode Island’s 2nd District, New Hampshire’s 1st District and (likely) Maine’s 2nd District. New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan was also re-elected.
- Other notable local results: Maine Gov. Janet Mills won her rematch against former Gov. Paul LePage; Vermont will (finally) send its first-ever woman to Congress, as well as a new U.S. senator. You can read all the New England results here.
P.S.— Well, we have a winner of the record $2 billion Powerball jackpot drawing, and it wasn’t me or you. That is, unless you recently bought a Powerball ticket at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California… in which case, please consider making a gift to WBUR!
