A recount was held after the Massachusetts primary election for the Plymouth and Barnstable district’s State Senate seat. State Representative Matt Muratore(R-MA) was declared the winner by The Secretary of the Commonwealth with 7,005 votes, only 39 more than his opponent Kari MacRae (R-MA).
The by-hand vote recount was called by MacRae, but she is still not satisfied with the result. In a public statement, she said “I strongly believe I won this race. More importantly, I strongly believe I owe it to the thousands of grassroots conservative voters who cast their ballots for me, that I must continue to fight for them.”
On September 15, MacRae put out a statement on her campaign’s official Facebook that said “the recount uncovered many legal issues with mail in ballots that [her campaign] will be challenging through the courts.” The Secretary of the Commonwealth still upholds its decision.
After the state redistricting in 2023, the Plymouth and Barnstable district now includes Plymouth, Kingston, Plympton, Pembroke, Bourne, Falmouth and Sandwich. MacRae, who is from Bourne, received a majority of the vote in all of the Cape towns and in Pembroke. However, Muratore won overwhelmingly in Plymouth, which swayed the election count in his favor.
In a Cape Cod Times press release, Muratore said the town clerks “conducted a safe, smooth, and secure election and we owe them a debt of gratitude for the work they do to uphold our democracy.”
. In 2021, Macrae also made a First Amendment Federal Appeals case after she was fired from Hanover High School for Tik Toks she posted, where she discussed her opinions on Critical Race Theory and gender identity. She claimed that her termination from the school was unconstitutional due to her right to free speech.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit affirmed the original decision that her termination was valid due to the disruptive nature of her videos within the school. This decision did not impact her elected position as a Committee Member on the Bourne School Committee, where her term will end in 2027.
State Representative Matt Muratore (R-MA) will now face State Representative Dylan Fernandes (D-MA) in the November 5 general election. The candidates are running in what may prove to be one of the most competitive races in the state. Over the course of the last few months, the candidates have been mobilizing their supporters and volunteers to put their best efforts towards this race.
State races across Massachusetts have been largely uncompetitive in 2024, making the Plymouth and Barnstable race a considerable outlier in this trend. The open state senate seat is vacant because Senator Susan Moran (D-MA) is not seeking reelection and will instead be running for the Barnstable County Superior Court clerk position. Many key players have also been involved in the development of this race, such as Governor Maura Healey (D-MA) and Former Massachusetts State Senate President (D-MA), who endorsed Fernandes. Over the last few months, both figures have held large fundraisers with Fernandes in support of his campaign, along with David Plouffe, an advisor of former president Barack Obama. Plouffe, who also is Fernandes’ uncle, has played a key role in supporting Fernandes’ campaign by hosting fundraisers and publicly endorsing his campaign.
As for Muratore, he has been endorsed by former Governor Charlie Baker (R-MA) and nearly all of the Republican State Senators and House Members. Much of the anticipation for this race stems from Fernandes losing much of the Cape Cod and Islands constituent base in the new Plymouth district, of which Muratore has closer ties with.
Fernandes aims to promote sustainability, affordable housing, reproductive healthcare, and workers’ rights across the region. Contrastingly, Muratore plans to address the migrant crisis and fight inflation across the region.
While some may be surprised at the divisiveness of this district, since Massachusetts typically votes Democratic, in many ways this race is reflective of the state of the nation in the upcoming presidential election. Two of MacRae’s primary issues, immigration and the state of the economy, are directly aligned with Former President Trump’s policy platform. Throughout her campaign, MacRae publicized her support of Trump and mobilized many of his local supporters. She is also highly concerned with voter fraud and illegitimate elections, another defining characteristic of Trump politics.
Some of the primary issues Dylan Fernandes focuses on, such as access to abortion, addressing climate change, and promoting affordability are also highly reflective of the leading issues of Kamala Harris’ campaign. In the coming days before the November 5 election, these issues will be brought to a head, and the future of these divisive issues will be determined by voters of Massachusetts and the country.
Comments