Thursday Roundup: Foley wins Sheriff race

Thanks to this year's late primary (September 14 is the latest possible "second Tuesday") and the early general election (November 2 is the earliest possible "Tuesday after the first Monday"), candidates are left with a seven-week sprint to the finish in their effort to win election.

For most, that race began within hours after the polls closed, but for Tom Foley (D-Worcester), the start of the general election campaign had to wait until Wednesday. From the Telegram:

Mr. Foley, a former superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, will face Republican Lewis G. Evangelidis, a state representative from Holden who had no opposition in the primary, and independent candidate Keith E. Nicholas of Warren. Mr. Warren is a UMass Memorial Medical Center policeman and part-time Warren police officer.

Mr. Foley, a Governor’s Councilor, received a call from his primary opponent, Scot J. Bove of Holden, conceding the election about 8:45 a.m. yesterday. Mr. Bove is an assistant deputy superintendent at the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction in West Boylston.

Mr. Foley took 52 percent of the vote, winning the primary by 1,660 votes, according to unofficial results. About 40 percent of the victory margin of Mr. Foley, who still lives in his native city of Worcester, came from Worcester, which he won by 676 votes.

As first reported by CMassPolitics.com, Bove decided around 1:00 am Wednesday to wait until results of several cities had been reported before conceding. At the time, Bove trailed by just over 1,000 votes with Milford, Gardner, Southbridge among the precincts not yet reported.

New England Cable News also reported on Foley's victory.

Elsewhere, while candidates gear up for the sprint, reporters and editors were catching up on rest and recharging the batteries...

13th Worcester House District
An advisor to gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker (R-Swampscott) told the State House News Service that the loss of Margot Barnet (D-Worcester) in the state house primary showed the weakness of the Lt. Governor Tim Murray (D-Worcester) "political machine." The advisor suggester that Barnet was Murray's "preferred candidate;" Murray's campaign noted that Murray did not endorse anyone in the race.

Second Congressional District
Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) is feeling some heat from the left, as the Progressive Democrats for America and "Jobs for Justice" organizations protested the lack of job growth at the Springfield Federal Building. Organizers said it was the ninth time they had requested a meeting with Neal, to no effect.

Second Franklin District
The Telegram notes that the next state representative will definitively be from Orange, as Republican nominee Steven Adam, Democratic nominee Denise Andrews, and unenrolled candidate Genevieve Fraser all hail from Franklin County's Easternmost burg.