Photo courtesy of Lili Paxton ’21
Students attended an election results viewing party hosted by the Mount Holyoke College Democrats on Nov. 6
BY ALLYSON HUNTOON ’19
As of Wednesday evening, midterm election results from around the country were still coming in. In Massachusetts, Democrats won all of the Congressional races on the ballot, including the state’s nine seats in the House of Representatives and one Senate seat, to which Senator Elizabeth Warren was re-elected. At the state level, Republican governor Charlie Baker was re-elected, defeating Democrat Jay Gonzalez.
Other incumbent Massachusetts politicians who were re-elected include Democrat Attorney General Maura Healey, Democrat Secretary of State William F. Galvin, Democrat Auditor Suzanne Bump and Democrat Treasurer Deborah Goldberg. To represent South Hadley in the State Senate and House, Democrats Jo Comerford and Daniel Carey were elected, respectively.
The statewide ballot questions had mixed results. Question 1, which deals with nurse-patient ratios, did not pass, making no change to the current laws relative to these limits. Question 2, which proposed the creation of a citizens commission to advance an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to limit the influence of money in elections and establish that corporations do not have the same rights as people, passed. Question 3, which asked if Massachusetts should uphold the current law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in places of public accommodation, also passed.
According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, of the 11,457 people registered to vote in South Hadley, 7,801 voted in the midterm election.
Nationwide, Republicans maintained their majority in the Senate and Democrats gained enough seats to take control in the House. This means that President Trump’s administration will be working with a divided Congress in the future.