Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) gained a Republican challenger in her reelection to the Senate on Tuesday night, setting the GOP up for a long-shot bid in a blue state whose congressional delegation is all but locked in for Democrats.
The Associated Press called the race for John Deaton at 8:42 p.m., 42 minutes after the polls closed. Deaton won with 60.3% of the vote, followed by Bob Antonellis with 30.3% and Ian Cain with 9.5%.
Warren, who is seeking her third term in the Senate, hasn’t seen a competitive race since 2012, when she defeated then-incumbent Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican. In 2018, she received over 60% of the vote.
Deaton, an attorney, was by far the most well-funded competitor in Tuesday’s GOP primary, mostly due to the $1 million he loaned to his campaign. Deaton outraised Cain, president of the Quincy City Council, and had about $975,000 in the bank as of the end of June. Cain had $22,000 ahead of the primary, according to the Associated Press.
Warren’s seat is one of 23 being defended by Democrats or independents who caucus with Democrats this cycle, compared to the 11 Republicans are defending. Warren’s seat is ranked “solid Democratic,” and President Joe Biden received 66% in the district in the 2020 presidential election.
With Democrats firmly in control of both Senate seats and all nine House seats in Massachusetts, it will be an uphill battle for Deaton to defeat Warren even though Biden is not on the ticket this year. In the few days before Biden withdrew from the race, he was leading former President Donald Trump in Massachusetts 47% to 29%.
Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Bill Keating (D-MA) are the only House Democrats who will gain Republican challengers on Tuesday.
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Lynch will likely face bar owner Daniel Kelly in the general election, who has 68.2% of the vote as of 8:45 p.m. Burke had challenged Lynch in the 2022 general election but received only 30% of the vote. Biden won Lynch’s district with 67% of the vote in 2020.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), unlike some of her fellow “Squad” members, faced an uncontested primary. Many of the Squad members were targeted in this primary cycle by pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC for their support of Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas. Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Cori Bush (D-MO) were ousted in June and August, respectively, by Democrats whose campaigns were funded by AIPAC and its allies.
