Assistant Cape & Islands District Attorney Thomas Moakely beat Arielle Faria of Martha’s Vineyard to secure the Democratic nomination to run for the state representative seat being vacated by Dylan Fernandes, who is running for state senate.
Courtesy of Thomas Moakley for state representative
Attorney John Deaton won the Republican nomination in Tuesday's state primary to square off against Democrat Elizabeth Warren for her U.S. Senate seat.
Assistant Cape & Islands District Attorney Thomas Moakely beat Arielle Faria of Martha’s Vineyard to secure the Democratic nomination to run for the state representative seat being vacated by Dylan Fernandes, who is running for state senate.
Courtesy of Thomas Moakley for state representative
Attorney John Deaton won the Republican nomination in Tuesday's state primary to square off against Democrat Elizabeth Warren for her U.S. Senate seat.
(Sept. 4, 2024) Turnout was light on the island and statewide in Tuesday’s state primary election, with just two contested races on the Nantucket ballot.
Just over 11 percent – 1,092 – of Nantucket’s 9,958 registered voters cast ballots, backing overall winners Thomas Moakley for the Democratic nomination for state representative and Republican John Deaton for U.S. Senate in the only contested races.
With very few races anywhere, turnout statewide was forecast to be about 15 percent, far less than the 60-70 percent typically seen in general elections.
Moakley, a Cape & Islands assistant district attorney, beat Arielle Reid Faria of West Tisbury, managing director of the Island Housing Trust on Martha’s Vineyard, for the Democratic nomination for the Cape and Islands representative seat currently held by Dylan Fernandes.
Fernandes is running for the Plymouth and Barnstable state senate seat formerly held by Susan Moran of Falmouth.
There were no Republican candidates on the primary ballot for Fernandes’ seat, virtually ensuring Moakley the job following the Nov. 5 general election.
Moakely – who picked up 476 votes on Nantucket to Faria’s 315 – received endorsements from Fernandes, Nantucket sheriff Jim Perelman and current Cape & Islands DA Rob Gallibois.
“I’m really looking forward to where the real work starts, when we start turning these campaign themes and ideas into actual law,” Moakley told the Martha’s Vineyard Times Tuesday night, citing housing, affordability, reliability of the Steamship Authority and addressing the opioid epidemic as his top priorities for the district.
Deaton, a cryptocurrency attorney who moved to Massachusetts from Rhode Island in January, picked up 161 island votes to software engineer Robert Antonellis’ 75 and Quincy city council president Ian Cain’s 23 for the Republican nomination to face off against incumbent U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Warren, running unopposed in the primary, received 765 votes on Nantucket.
Warren, who staged an unsuccessful campaign for president in 2020, is a prolific fundraiser and has committed to two debates against Deaton, according to The Boston Globe. Deaton has asked for five.
State Sen. Julian Cyr (D-Cape and Islands) ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, as did Colleen Whelden, seeking to replace Mary Adams as Nantucket Superior Court clerk. Adams announced her retirement earlier this year.
Cyr, who picked up 753 Nantucket votes, will face Republican Christopher Lauzon of Barnstable in the general election. There was no Republican challenger for Whelden, who received 751 Nantucket votes, in the primary.
In all on Nantucket, there were 821 Democratic ballots cast, 267 Republican and four Libertarian.
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