In a win for the "liberal elite" in the State House, Jarrett T. Barrios '90 knocked off an incumbent state representative while perennial Cambridge politician and first-term legislator Alice K. Wolf retained her seat by a comfortable margin.

Both incumbent Alvin E. Thompson, a part-time security guard in Pforzheimer House, and Vice Mayor Anthony D. Galluccio, who lost to Wolf in 1996 by a 90-vote margin, emphasized their working-class roots in this summer's campaign. But they were topped respectively by Barrios, a Harvard-educated attorney, and Wolf, who received support from women's groups and The Boston Globe.

In the 28th Middlesex District, Barrios was the clear winner with 48.7 percent of the vote, more than 20 points ahead of his nearest rival, community organizer Dennis A. Benzan, 28. The incumbent Thompson ran a distant third, with only 19.2 percent of the vote.

"We are very excited," said a jubilant Barrios at his victory party. "It is all about hard work. People are ready for change."

Barrios, 30, an attorney at the Boston law firm Hill & Barlow, was named 1997 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year for his work representing immigrants.

He lists "affordable housing, schools [and] child care" among his top priorities.

Barrios's district covers south and east Cambridge, along with several River Houses, and includes many poor and non-white residents.

The mood at Barrios's victory party at Carberry's, a Central Square bakery, was ecstatic. Throngs of Barrios's mostly youthful supporters jammed the room and cheered their candidate.

"I'm so young. I have no idea how I can contain my happiness," said Emma R. Stickgold, 16, a Barrios volunteer who attends Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. "This campaign has absolutely convinced me that local politics are essential."

The Barrios campaign attracted several Harvard undergraduate volunteers.

"I love Cambridge, where a gay Latino man can be the most viable candidate," said Ari M. Lipman '00.

Barrios said he would be the first openly gay man elected to the House as a non-incumbent and the only Latino in the next House.

Barrios triumphed over a four-candidate field which in addition to Benzan and Thompson also included David Hoicka, a Central Square attorney. In the past, similarly crowded fields had helped Thompson eke out a plurality of votes.

Endorsements from the Cambridge Chronicle and the Boston Phoenix, as well as political groups like the Cambridge Lavender Alliance-a gay and lesbian group-and the state chapter of the National Organization for Women helped boost Barrios's profile.

He will face Republican Ronald W. Potvin in November.