Donato wins three-way Democratic Primary election for Mass. House

With no Republican challenger in November, longtime Representative poised for reelection to 13th consecutive term of office

Advocate Staff Report

Incumbent state Rep. Paul Donato (D-Malden, Medford) won the three-way Democratic Primary for the 35th Middlesex District seat in the Mass. House of Representatives in Tuesday’s election. With no Republican or any other party-based candidate on the ballot this year, Donato will be reelected to a 13th consecutive term in the Mass. House in the November 5, 2024, General Election. First elected in 2000, Rep. Donato is one of the longest serving state legislators on Beacon Hill, as well as having most years in office at the state level from the cities of Malden and Medford.

The 35th Middlesex District includes the following parts of Malden and Medford. In Malden: all of Ward 1; in Ward 3, Precincts 1A, 3; in Ward 7, Precincts 1 and 3A. In Medford: Ward 1, Ward 2, Ward 3, Precinct 1; Ward 6, Precinct 2A; Ward 7, Precinct 2; and Ward 8, Precinct 1.

For the third straight election it was a battle between Donato, a Medford resident and Malden resident Nichole Mossalam for the 35th District seat. Both of those previous election day results in 2022 and 2020 were competitive, particularly two years ago, when Donato was declared the winner by a razor-thin margin, just 62 votes – one half of 1% – in the final tally.

The “third time around” featured some major differences in the 35th District election. For the first time, in this year’s election it was a three-way race. This year’s Democratic ballot included the incumbent Donato, Mossalam and a third candidate, political newcomer Zayda Ortiz, a Malden resident. Another difference in this year’s final result is that Donato breezed to victory by a comfortable margin, garnering nearly 1,200 votes and almost a 20% winning margin. The final showing had Donato with 3,236 votes (54.9%), 2,086 votes for Mossalam (35.4%) and 573 votes for Ortiz (9.7%). On Tuesday, for the first time in the three elections featuring Donato and Mossalam, the incumbent Donato prevailed with the most votes in the Malden portion of the election, with 709 (44%) to 625 votes for Mossalam (39%) and 261 votes for Ortiz (16 percent).

The turnout for this year’s primary election was sparse, as expected, but it may have been a record-setter in that only 15% of the registered voters in Tuesday’s election went to the polls. In all, 5,649 voters cast ballots of 37,643 registered citywide – the number of registered voters a record high for the city of Malden, which recorded its highest population ever in the last U.S. Census: 66,000 residents overall.

Through the years, Rep. Donato has been at the forefront of historic and precedent-setting legislation on education, family rights, climate change and a comprehensive overhaul of our public health and mental health safety nets. He has been a leader in opening pathways and empowering our disenfranchised and marginalized communities. He continues to lead on eliminating the wealth/income divide, and was instrumental in the ballot placement of the “Fair Share Amendment,” providing critical resources to the Commonwealth’s education and transportation infrastructure. As a product of being raised in foster homes as a young boy, Rep. Donato has long been a champion of the children and adults involved in the Mass. foster care system, as well as children being raised by grandparents. He was also a chief sponsor of the major Massachusetts law against bullying in the Commonwealth.

Democratic incumbents who won their primaries on Tuesday and do not have qualified Republican challengers in November, thereby ensuring their reelection, include Rep. Donato, as well as state Representatives Erika Uyterhoeven of Somerville, Francisco Paulino of Methuen, Bud Williams of Springfield, David Linsky of Natick, Jack Lewis of Framingham, Joseph McGonagle of Everett, Rita Mendes of Brockton and Boston’s Russell Holmes and Jay Livingstone. Republican state Representative Paul Frost of Auburn will also not face a Democratic opponent after winning his primary race.