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Updated November 5, 2024, at 11:47 p.m.
BOSTON — Senator Elizabeth A. Warren (D-Mass.) cruised to reelection on Tuesday, winning a third six-year term and roundly defeating her Republican opponent John Deaton in deep-blue Massachusetts.
The Associated Press called the race for Warren just minutes after polls closed at 8 p.m. With her win, Warren, a former Harvard Law School professor, cemented her status as Massachusetts’ most prominent politician and — following her unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 — one of Washington’s top progressive champions.
At home, Warren is known for having mentored many progressive politicians — including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 and Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune — and top-ranking staff of federal economic agencies.
A Cambridge resident often spotted by Harvard students walking her dog near the Radcliffe Quadrangle, Warren cast her vote Tuesday morning at the Graham and Parks Elementary School.
Deaton, an attorney and first-time political candidate, ran on a decidedly moderate platform: distancing himself from Trump, supporting abortion rights, and comparing himself to former prominent Massachusetts Republicans.
Still, in a state that — despite its progressive bona fides — has elected centrist Republicans to the governor’s mansion, Deaton’s attempt to cast himself in the style of former Governors Charlie D. Baker ’79 and Mitt Romney failed to propel him over the finish line.
In a statement Tuesday night, Deaton wrote that he had “achieved the American dream” in running his campaign, although he did not mention his platform or his opponent.
“When you come from that kind of life, when you get to run against one of the most powerful and influential people in Washington and hold your own on the debate stage — that only happens in America,” he wrote.
At the Warren campaign, spirits ran high at an election watch party in Boston’s South End Tuesday night, as prominent Democrats took the stage before Warren to hype up the crowd, including Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscroll, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07, Rep. Ayanna S. Pressley (D-Mass.), and Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.).
Warren, the final speaker of the night, walked out to cheers, with Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” accompanying her entrance.
“Twelve years ago you took a chance on a candidate who had never run for office,” Warren said, thanking her supporters. “You sent me to Washington to fight for working class people and middle class families.”
“I am grateful down to my toes that you are sending me back to the Senate,” she continued.
Warren also referenced key issues that resonated with her supporters, specifically calling out abortion.
“Enough is enough,” Warren said. “We are fighting back, and we will restore the protection of Roe all across this nation.”
The jubilant night did not escape the pro-Palestine activism that has marked both Democratic and Republican political events across the country for more than a year. As Markey was speaking, three protestors raised a sign that read “Arms Embargo Now,” a reference to demands that the United States cease shipping arms to Israel to aid its war effort in Gaza.
Warren later addressed the war in Israel, although she held to the Democratic party’s typical position, calling for the return of hostages and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“For everybody who prays for peace in the Middle East, I see you and fight for you,” she said.
Markey — Warren’s counterpart in the Senate — took the stage to praise Warren’s accomplishments in Congress.
“Fighting and winning is exactly what I have seen Elizabeth do in the Senate,” Markey said. “When she takes the microphone the Republicans back out from their microphones, and for the past decade, she has been a crusader of what is right for the people of Massachusetts and all families in our country.
“She knows that it is our job in government to make the dream for every person in this country in reality, no matter race, gender, sexual identity,” he added.
Pressley, who ran unopposed, celebrated both Warren and Vice President Kamala Harris in her remarks, lauding their success as women in politics — a recurring theme throughout the night.
“Our labor as the women of this country is too often rendered invisible,” she said. “In their memory, in their honor, we are doing the battle for America.”
“You, me, we the people are powerful,” Pressley added.
While Warren’s reelection was largely anticipated, Democrats are already looking for indications of whether or not this stint in the Senate will be her last. At 75, she is the fourth-oldest Senator seeking reelection, and would be 81-years-old by the beginning of a fourth term.
The end of Warren’s stint in Congress, however, would signify a drastic shift in Massachusetts politics as the Democratic party loses a significant figurehead, opening the doors for the state’s prominent local politicians to enter the race.
Yet, Warren gave no signal that she was starting to slow down.
“Today is the start of the next chapter,” Warren said. “We have a lot we want to get done.”
—Staff writer Avani B. Rai can be reached at avani.rai@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @avaniiiirai.
—Staff writer Jack R. Trapanick can be reached at jack.trapanick@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @jackrtrapanick.
