Massachusetts State Primary: Deaton, Dolan to General Ballot
The Massachusetts State Primary results are in, and District 3 will have a new Governor's Councillor after November's election. In her second consecutive Democratic Primary challenge to current Councillor, Marilyn Pettito Devaney, Dolan brought home a victory of close margins. There was no Republican on the Primary ballot, which means Dolan will represent Burlington and a number of other municipalities in the little-understood but very important body for at least the next two years. Dolan says she'll be the first full-time public defender to sit on the Governor's Council since the right to counsel was established.
Dolan narrowed her margin in Burlington, having lost by 2:1 in 2022 and only by 1.5:1 in 2024. Still, the work she did around the state was sufficient to deliver the nomination.
On the Republican ticket, John Deaton secured a decisive victory over his Primary opponents Robert Antonellis and Ian Cain. Deaton, an attorney and United States Marine Corps veteran, will take on Democratic incumbent, Elizabeth Warren, in November's General Election. According to Burlington's preliminary tally sheet, the balance differed slightly from the overall trend, with 57% going to Deaton (compared with 65% statewide), 36% to Antonellis (26% statewide), and 6% to Cain (9% statewide).
Only about 16% of Burlington voters turned out at this primary, compared with 24% in 2022, with 2224 Democratic and 911 Republican ballots cast.
