The Somerville Democrats have ended its weeklong voting on endorsements for the city’s district-level races on the Sept. 1 primary, with Mike Connolly making the cut for his reelection bid for state representative in the 26th Middlesex District alongside Diann Baylis, running for governor’s councilor in the 6th District, and Tara DeCristofaro, running for register of probate for Middlesex County. Each got a committee endorsement by winning at least three-fifths of the vote by up to 125 participants.
Other races saw candidates win majorities, but fall short of qualifying for committee endorsement. Because there are few Republican or other candidates the have declared for the November general election, the primary will decide many races – but it remains to be seen whether results from the Somerville Democratic City Committee are an effective proxy for results at the polls next month.
In races appearing on Somerville ballots:
The 26th Middlesex (a state House seat held by Mike Connolly, in the office since 2017) includes East Cambridge and East Somerville. Connolly, of Cambridge, got 72 votes (74 percent) and Neil Miller, of Cambridge, got 6 votes (6 percent) out of 98 total.
The 2nd Middlesex (a state Senate seat held by Pat Jehlen, in the office since 2005 but retiring) includes the cities of Somerville and Medford; and parts of Cambridge and Winchester. Christine Barber, of Somerville, got 52 votes (42 percent); Matthew McLaughlin, of Somerville, got 51 votes (41 percent); Erika Uyterhoeven, of Somerville, got 11 votes (9 percent); and Burhan Azeem, of Cambridge, got 3 votes (2 percent) out of 125 total.
The 27th Middlesex (a state House seat held by Erika Uyterhoeven, in the office since 2021 but running for Jehlen’s state Senate seat) includes much of Somerville. Ben Ewen-Campen, of Somerville, got 63 votes (53 percent); and Olivia Gilligan Corsetti, of Somerville, got 43 votes (36 percent) out of 120 total.
The 34th Middlesex (a state House seat held by Barber, in the office since 2015 but running for Jehlen’s state Senate seat) includes parts of Somerville and Medford. Will Mbah, of Somerville, got 50 votes (48 percent); Chris Oates, of Somerville, got 29 votes (28 percent); and Paul Ruseau, of Medford, got 8 votes (8 percent) out of 105 total.
For district attorney for Middlesex County, Marian Ryan, the 13-year incumbent and a Belmont resident, got 48 votes (48 percent); and David Solet, of Cambridge, a former cold case prosecutor under Ryan, got 38 votes (38 percent) out of 101 total.
For register of probate for Middlesex County, DeCristofaro, of Medford, got 51 “aye” votes (90 percent) and five “no” votes (9 percent) out of 57 total.
For governor’s councilor for the 6th District, Baylis, of Marblehead, got 60 votes (63 percent); and Terrence Kennedy, of Lynnfield, got 15 votes (16 percent) out of 96 total .
Union endorsement for Lander
Daniel Lander, who is running against incumbent Will Brownsberger in the Suffolk and Middlesex District state Senate race, said Tuesday that his run was endorsed by the AFL-CIO, which represents more than 800 local unions with nearly a half-million union members across the state. “This is the first time in years that the labor organization endorsed against an incumbent,” said Lander, a former aide to Boston mayor Michelle Wu. “Organized labor is frustrated with a status quo that is failing working people, and unions are demanding change.”
Six days earlier, Lander had another rarity to announce: Three Watertown city councilors had switched endorsements to him from Brownsberger, in office since 2009. The district includes Watertown and Belmont and parts of Cambridge and Boston.
About the race districts
The 2nd Middlesex (a state Senate seat held by Pat Jehlen, in the office since 2005 but is retiring) includes the cities of Somerville and Medford; and parts of Cambridge and Winchester. Sought by: Burhan Azeem, Christine Barber, Matt McLaughlin, Erika Uyterhoeven
The 24th Middlesex (a state House seat held by Dave Rogers, in the office since 2013) includes parts of North Cambridge and Arlington and all of Belmont. Sought by: Nomita Ganguly
The 25th Middlesex (a state House seat held by Marjorie Decker, in the office since 2013) includes the central slice of Cambridge, following Massachusetts Avenue from Central Square through Harvard Square and just past Porter Square. Sought by: Evan MacKay
The 26th Middlesex (a state House seat held by Mike Connolly, in the office since 2017) includes East Cambridge and East Somerville. Sought by: Neil Miller
The 27th Middlesex (a state House seat held by Erika Uyterhoeven, in the office since 2021 but running for Jehlen’s state Senate seat) includes much of Somerville. Sought by: Ben Ewen-Campen, Olivia Gilligan-Corsetti
The 34th Middlesex (a state House seat held by Christine Barber, in the office since 2015 but running for Jehlen’s state Senate seat) includes parts of Somerville and Medford. Sought by: Will Mbah, Christopher Oates, Paul Ruseau
The Suffolk and Middlesex (a state Senate seat held by Will Brownsberger, in office since 2009 and running for reelection) includes the cities of Watertown and Belmont and parts of Cambridge and Boston. Sought by: Daniel Lander, Brandon Wood
This post was updated July 31, 2026, to reflect a change of venue for political forums.
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