Everyone loves a winner. And they really like a winner they think they have helped win.
Within a few hours of Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux declaring victory over incumbent Thomas Hodgson in the Bristol County sheriff’s race early Wednesday morning, several organizations were citing their support for the winner.
For his part Heroux acknowledged that with a margin of victory as narrow as his (50.6%) “everything helps.”
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Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, released a statement Wednesday declaring that the group’s “Know Your Sheriff” campaign put the focus on civil liberties and public health in contested sheriff’s races across the state.
“Voters delivered an unequivocal verdict last night: Massachusetts wants sheriffs who center public safety and justice by supporting individuals and strengthening communities. Make no mistake: Massachusetts voters are now paying attention to their local sheriff.”
The” Know Your Sheriff” campaign organized public education forums, candidate forums in contested counties, candidate questionnaires, and direct voter outreach in Bristol and Barnstable counties.
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Everytown for Gun Safety Massachusetts IE PAC and Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, declared a major victory.
“When it comes to saving lives, passing gun safety laws is just the first step — we also need to make sure they’re enforced, and Paul Heroux will do exactly that,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Everytown was proud to support Heroux’s campaign, and stand ready to help him keep Bristol County residents safe from gun violence.”
Everytown for Gun Safety contributed $200,000 to Heroux’s campaign according to the state’s Office of Campaign and Political finance.
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“Paul Heroux will bring a new day to the Bristol County Sheriff’s office,” the independent PAC Working Families Party said. “Working with national partners and local leaders, we contacted voters across the county. Again and again, we found people excited to see change and a move toward real justice and real safety. On Tuesday, they got that change. ”
The Working Families Party Massachusetts IE PAC says it raised $280,000 during the course of the campaign, did four mailings and sent over 150,000 text messages to voters.
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Not to be confused with the Working Families Party is the Workers Party of Massachusetts, an outspoken socialist organization whose goal, its website says, is the overthrow of the capitalist system. (The party logo is a crossed hammer and computer keyboard, evidently in recognition of the fact there are fairly few peasant farmers in Massachusetts but plenty of discontented tech workers.)
The party’s candidates received more than 50,000 votes in the Nov. 8 elections, including 2,082 for Mansfield resident Laura Saylor, running against the eventual winner, incumbent state Sen. Paul Feeney, D-Foxboro, and Republican and Foxboro resident Michael Chiasson.
Statewide the party missed getting the 3% of total votes cast required to receive official party status in Massachusetts.
“Following the elections the Workers Party is optimistic about results and the future of organizing in independent socialist politics,” the party said in a statement.
State Rep. Adam Scanlon, who had no opponent on Tuesday in his bid for a second term, says he has three priorities for the next legislative session.
The North Attleboro Democrat says he’ll focus on “advocating for tax relief (especially for seniors), vocational education reforms to expand opportunities for career and technical education programs in all communities, and providing funding and support for community projects to address infrastructure needs.”
Scanlon adds his own “fun fact” from Tuesday’s election. He will soon no longer be the youngest member of the Legislature. He’s 26. Rep. Elect Ryan Hamilton of Methuen is 24.
Scanlon added he “is thrilled to see other young people across the Commonwealth run for office to serve their community.”
