In Large Turnout, Democrats Sweep Local Races

Cape Codders turned out in large numbers for Tuesday’s presidential election, with Democrats making a clean sweep in Chatham, Harwich, Orleans and Brewster.

Voters backed Kamala Harris for president and returned Elizabeth Warren to a third term in the U.S. Senate, while Rep. William Keating won a sixth term representing the Ninth Massachusetts District in Washington.

Only two local races were contested, and in these, too, local voters endorsed Democrats. Julian Cyr was re-elected to the Cape and Islands State Senate seat, while Mark Forest and Sheila Lyons were returned to the Barnstable County Commission.

 Democrat Hadley Luddy was unopposed for the Fourth Barnstable Representative seat. First Barnstable District Representative incumbent Christopher Flanagan, a Democrat, was poised to win re-election over Republican Gerald O’Connell, although final results for the district were not in by deadline. Voters in Brewster gave Flanagan 4,327 votes over O’Connell’s 2,576.

 Local voters were split on a ballot question backed by the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates which would give the assembly more say in county fiscal matters. Orleans and Brewster voters endorsed the measure while it was rejected in Chatham, Harwich and Brewster. Voters in the three Fourth District towns turned down a ballot question endorsing wind farms in the Gulf of Maine.

"What a win,” Cyr said by phone from the Provincetown Brewing Co. He thanked district voters for their support. “It's been the honor of my life to represent our region in the state senate, and because of the voters I'll be returning for a fifth term.

"I think our voters made clear our priorities and that we're here and pushing ahead on the issues that matter most to us. Housing, tax relief, clean water, climate change, healthcare access, reproductive freedom and more."

 Chatham saw an estimated turnout of 78.5 percent, slightly less than the 83 percent of voters who cast ballots in the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections. 

 “It went really well,” Town Clerk Julie Smith said of the day’s voting.

 Chatham residents cast 2,952 votes for Harris and Tim Walz. Donald Trump and JD Vance trailed with 1,743. In the two local races, Cyr topped the Chatham vote with 2,748 to Lauzon’s 1,846. Independent Joe Van Nes trailed with 57.

 Forest received 2,427 votes, Lyons 2,461, both ahead of Republicans Ron Beaty (1,564) and Cynthia Stead (1,376).

 Turnout in Orleans was 79 percent. Harris and Walz garnered 3,109 votes to Trump and Vance’s 1,397. Cyr earned 2,940 to 1,448 for Lauzon and 61 for Van Nes. Forest received 2,526 votes, Lyons 2,720, Beaty earned 1,241 and Stead polled 1,133.

 In Harwich, Harris and Walz outpolled Trump and Vance 5,362 to 3,403. Cyr topped Lauzon 5,116 to 3,495, with VanNes getting 114 votes. In the county commission race, Forest received 4,596 votes, Lyons 4,572, Beaty 2,749 and Stead 2,407. Turnout was around 73 percent.

In unofficial results, Brewster backed Harris and Walz 4,768 to 2,333 for Trump and Vance. In the Cape and Islands Senate race, Cyr topped the field with 4,548, with 2,413 for Lauzon and 102 for Van Nes. County Commission incumbents Forest (4,069) and Lyons (4,097) topped challengers Beaty (1,910) and Stead (1,755). Turnout in Brewster was 81 percent.

Chatham voters rejected Question 2, but voters in Harwich, Orleans and Brewster backed removing MCAS passage as a graduation requirement. Voters in all four towns strongly opposed Question 4, which would have allowed the sale of certain psychedelic substances. Likewise, voters in all four towns voted down Question 5, related to minimum wage for tip workers.

Question 6, related to Barnstable Assembly of Delegates fiscal oversight, was backed by Orleans and Brewster voters but not those in Chatham and Harwich. Voters in Chatham, Harwich and Orleans rejected Question 7, which only appeared on the ballot in Lower Cape towns and asked if voters support leasing areas of the Gulf of Maine for wind farms. 

The final results for the ballot questions were not in by The Chronicle’s deadline.

 For full results on all contested races and the ballot questions, as well as updates on regional contests, visit www.capecodchronicle.com.