Voters turned out across the region Tuesday to decide primary races for U.S. Senate, Congress and governor, setting the stage for general election showdowns in November.
In the Senate race, the Democratic primary was a heated contest between incumbent Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Seth Moulton, of Salem. It appeared as of Tuesday evening that Markey had won that race.
Democrat Gov. Maura Healey is unopposed, but on the Republican ticket, the primary race is between GOP hopefuls Mike Minogue and Brian Shortsleeve.
The other race generating a lot of interest on the North Shore is the Democratic primary to replace Moulton in Congress. Five candidates — Bethany Andres-Beck of Middleton, John Beccia of Lynnfield, Jamie Belsito of Topsfield, Dan Koh of Andover, and Tram Nguyen of Andover — are vying for the party’s nomination.
Early in the day Tuesday at Salem’s Community Life Center in Ward 2, resident Suzanne Levert explained her decision-making in the Democratic races.
“Although Seth Moulton was my congressman and helped us out, I find him to be a bully,” Levert said. “Ed Markey has done a fantastic job for 50 years. And I don’t care that it’s been 50 years. I am older so maybe that makes a difference in my decision, but I don’t like this ‘I’m young’ reasoning (from Moulton).”
“I like (Tram Nguyen’s) immigrant story, and I feel that she’s very relevant for this time in our country,” she said.
Maureen Mahony, meanwhile, said she liked Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll a lot, particularly as a team.
“I voted for Markey because I’m old school; I go for someone who has done good for a lot of years and been good to us,” said Mahony.
“I liked Beccia’s background, even though I hadn’t heard of him before the race. He’s pushing for more jobs and is very anti-Trump, and that’s enough for me,” she said.
Salem resident Jonathan Rees said he voted for Markey because Moulton was trying to “bait him on the Epstein files, and I thought that was really hateful.” He said he was on the fence, but as he watched more of both candidates, he “just didn’t get a good feeling from Moulton.”
“I wanted to vote for a woman (in the Congressional race). Everyone was pretty progressive, so in a way it was a win-win race,” said Rees, adding that Lancaster was “one of the only ones not doing underhanded things in the race.”
Salem School Committee member AJ Hoffman said Markey stands by his word and gets the job done. “His campaign has not gone negative, which I appreciate, I’m tired of that in our political system right now.”
“Tram Nguyen (got my vote). I met her early with Manny Cruz, and she’s definitely supportive of the LGBTQIA community and trans kids, which is a huge thing for me,” said Hoffman. “I like where she came from, and that she is a real human who had real struggles because they’re not going to forget when they get to Washington.”
Supporters for the candidates held signs at Danvers High School around noontime Tuesday. The largest showings then were for Belsito and Nguyen.
Belsito held signs with supporters in the rain and Nguyen stopped by with Attorney General Andrea Campbell to speak with campaigners. John Deaton, the unopposed Republican candidate running for Markey’s seat, also spoke with supporters after arriving at the school in his large campaign bus.
Emily Rosenberg held a sign for Belsito, saying the Topsfield resident is a progressive voice that’s needed in Washington.
“She tells it how it is, and in a society where people are scared to say the truth, it’s really inspiring to see somebody stand up for people and stand up for the people on the North Shore, particularly,” said Rosenberg, a Danvers resident.
Danvers Democratic Town Committee member Ellen Graham said Nguyen is the progressive leader the district needs.
“She cares about people. She’s a leader, she’s compassionate, she has empathy and experience,” Graham said while holding a Nguyen sign at the school.
Both also said they voted for Markey over Moulton.
“We’re trying to move this country forward,” Rosenberg said. We’re trying to move this country toward a place where we’re making government work for people instead of for corporations.”
Graham agreed Markey is the more impressive candidate. She also said she hasn’t been impressed with Moulton’s track record in Congress.
“I would take an old progressive over a young establishment any day,” Graham said. “Ed has always been on the right side, and he’s always been very available to his constituents. Seth, not so much.”
Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202