Joseph Boncore
By Cary Shuman
Winthrop attorney Joseph Boncore won the Democratic nomination for the State Senate seat in the First Suffolk and Middlesex District that includes Beacon Hill.
Boncore received 4,013 votes to take first place in the field of seven candidates in the April 12 Democratic Primary. He carried his hometown of Winthrop by a substantial margin and received strong support in East Boston, Revere, and the North End. There are no Republican candidates for the seat which means that Boncore will be unopposed in the general election on May 10.
Revere Mayor Dan Rizzo was second with 3,626 votes. State Rep. Jay Livingstone of Beacon Hill finished third with 2,807 votes, followed by Lydia Edwards (2,280), Diana Hwang (2,085), Steven Morabito (607), and Paul Rogers (175).
Livingstone was the clear-cut winner in the Beacon Hill neighborhood and the overlapping precinct that includes the downtown district. Livingstone received 625 votes to easily outdistance his opponents by a 5-1 margin. He finished a close second to Edwards in Cambridge.
“We had great support in the Beacon Hill neighborhood and I’m really pleased that the people have appreciated the job that I’ve done as state representative and had the confidence in me to be their state senator,” said Livingstone.
Livingstone said the Senate campaign was a good experience overall. “I learned a lot in the campaign. We ran a very competitive race. We came up short but we had a great team and I’m really pleased with the tremendous show of support that I received throughout the district.”
Livingstone has taken out nomination papers for re-election to his state representative seat. He is seeking his second full term in office and third overall, having won a special election in June, 2013.