Saugus is a “Red” Town

Voters back Republicans – Trump for president, Deaton for U.S. Senator – as 66 percent of voters turnout for presidential election

By Mark E. Vogler

Saugus easily established itself as a “red” town in a predominantly “blue” state, as voters overwhelmingly backed the two top Republicans on the ballot in Tuesday’s presidential election. Former President Donald Trump carried 54 percent of the total votes cast while beating his Democratic challenger, Vice President Kamala Harris, 8,013 to 6,502 – a 1,511-vote margin, according to the unofficial results released Tuesday night by the Saugus Town Clerk’s Office.

Harris drew 62 percent of the vote statewide to take Massachusetts. But Trump, the 45th president of the United States, in a compelling political comeback beat Harris and will be returning to the White House as the 47th president.

Meanwhile, Republican challenger John Deaton drew 53 percent of the vote in his race with incumbent Senator Elizabeth Warren. Deaton won the Saugus vote over Sen. Warren, 7,887 to 6,438 – a 1,449 vote margin. But the Saugus support for Deaton was atypical of how Massachusetts voted overall. Warren drew more than 60 percent of the vote as she coasted to reelection, winning a third six-year term.

Trump and Deaton each won all 10 town precincts. Sixty-six percent of the town’s 22,566 registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s election.

“I love it!” Saugus Republican Town Committee Chair Chris Luongo exclaimed in an interview on the morning after the election when told that both Trump and Deaton were overwhelming favorites among Saugus voters.

“I think Saugus is a working-class town and people are finally realizing that the Democrats are not for the working class anymore,” Luongo said.

“I’m hoping to get the Republican Town Committee to get more people to run for state office for the next election. Maybe we can get something statewide, too,” he said.

Luongo had predicted that former President Trump would carry Saugus as well as the country and he was not optimistic about Deaton’s prospects in Saugus. Luongo hailed the local and national voting results as “a great day for America.”

Saugus Democratic Town Committee Chair Joe Malone said in an interview before the election that he expected Vice President Kamala Harris to carry Saugus as well as the nation. “I’m surprised that she didn’t carry Saugus or the nation,” Malone said in an interview Wednesday. “I thought for sure that Harris would take Florida. And I’m surprised that Warren lost so badly [in Saugus].

“I thought that Harris was a very good candidate and was going to do better than Joe Biden,” he said.

“I’m just totally surprised that Harris didn’t win the election. I think the border was a problem for our side,” he said.

Trump’s support in Saugus during Tuesday’s election was the best he’s done during his three presidential runs. Eight years ago, Trump was the favorite of Saugus voters, beating Hillary Clinton by 933 votes as he captured 51 percent of the turnout. Trump lost the popular vote by close to 3 million to Democratic candidate Clinton while winning the White House by beating her in the Electoral College, 304 to 227.

Four years later, former Vice President Joe Biden was the favorite of Saugus voters, as he beat Trump by 373 votes – capturing 51 percent of the turnout. On the national front, Biden beat Trump in electoral votes, 306 to 232, while winning the popular vote by more than 7 million.

In other races on Tuesday, incumbent Essex County Clerk of Courts Thomas Driscoll, Jr., a Democrat, declared victory in his race against two challengers: Todd R. Angilly, an unenrolled candidate from Lynnfield, and Doris V. Rodriguez, an Independent candidate from Lawrence. Driscoll was seeking his fifth six-year term. Driscoll topped the field in Saugus, receiving 6,250 votes. Angilly received 3,670 votes and Rodriguez drew 1,944 votes.

Driscoll issued the following statement Wednesday:

  “I want to extend my sincerest thanks to the voters of Essex County for their continued support and trust. I look forward to continuing in my role as their Clerk of Courts as we fight for fairness, transparency, and justice.

  “I also want to thank my family; my wife Tara, my kids Thomas, Robert, and Callie, and my sister Martha, who have selflessly supported me on this journey. I am grateful for the volunteers and activists who made tonight possible, and I also want to thank my opponents, Todd Angilly and Doris Rodriguez. Running for office is incredibly difficult, and I commend them for their willingness to serve their community and talk about the issues that matter. I wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors.”

Driscoll has served as Essex County Clerk of Courts since 2001. He is a graduate of Bates College, where he played varsity football and lacrosse and earned a degree in political science, and he holds a J.D. from the New England School of Law. Immediately following graduation from college, Driscoll worked as a Deputy Sheriff and Corrections Officer for the Essex County Sheriff’s Department. As an attorney, he served as an Assistant District Attorney in Essex County. He then embarked on a career as a civil litigation and criminal defense attorney. Driscoll has also served on the Board of Selectmen and Swampscott Contributory Retirement Board in addition to his volunteer role as a coach for numerous youth sports teams in Swampscott, where he resides with his wife of 32 years, Tara. Together, they have raised their three children: Thomas, Robert and Callie.

At press time, it was not clear who the winner was in the race for the Registry of Deeds seat for the Essex Southern District between Eileen M. Duff, a Democrat from Gloucester, and Jonathan Edward Ring, a Rockport Republican. On Tuesday, Duff was a slight favorite over Ring among Saugus voters, 6,267 to 6,138.

A vote to eliminate MCAS

Saugus voters supported two of the five ballot questions. Here’s how they voted:

  Question One – town voters embraced the proposal to allow the state auditor to audit the state Legislature, 9,700 to 3,786. Statewide, voters overwhelmingly supported that question by more than 70 percent.

  Question Two – town voters supported the proposal to repeal the requirement to pass a competency exam to graduate from high school by a vote of 8,602 to 5,679. This would eliminate passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests in mathematics, science, technology and English as a requirement to receive a high school diploma.  Statewide, voters supported the question by 59 percent.

  Question Three – town voters rejected the proposal to allow rideshare drivers to form labor unions by a vote of 7,056 to 6,670. Statewide, voters supported the question by 54 percent.

  Question Four – town voters opposed the proposal to legalize certain psychedelic substances by a vote of 8,738 to 5,187. Statewide, voters rejected the question by 57 percent.

  Question Five – town voters opposed the proposal to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers by a vote of 10,362 to 3,755. Statewide, voters rejected the proposal by 64 percent.

Thousands of blanks cast

There were thousands of blank votes cast in the five uncontested races in Tuesday’s election. U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Salem) received 9,301 votes while 5,307 blank votes were cast in his race. Terrence W. Kennedy, of Lynnfield, a Democrat, received 8,948 votes. There were 5,747 blanks cast in his race. State Rep. Donald H. Wong (R-Saugus), the lone Republican among the five uncontested incumbents who were reelected, received 9,013 votes. There were only 163 blanks in his race. State Rep. Jessica Ann Giannino (D-Revere) received 1,684 votes compared to the 1,034 blank votes cast in her race. State Sen. Brendan P. Crighton (D-Lynn) received 8,569 votes. There were 6,143 blank votes cast in his race.