October 1, 2026
SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE William Brownsberger of Belmont has narrowly won his reelection bid following tense recounts that saw him capture a 35-vote lead over challenger Daniel Lander of Boston.
The results conclude a nail-biting primary race for the Suffolk and Middlesex District, which became a proxy war over voter dissatisfaction with the Beacon Hill status quo and a test of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s political prowess after Brownsberger helped quash her tax reclassification push in 2024. Brownsberger was the highest-ranking lawmaker facing a primary challenge this cycle, and there is no Republican candidate on November’s general election ballot.
Last Thursday, Wu-backed Lander was leading by three votes — 12,132 to Brownsberger’s 12,129, according to unofficial tallies from the Tuesday primary. By Friday afternoon, Brownsberger was up by 34 votes. Both candidates filed petitions for district-wide recounts, which are permitted in races with a margin of victory of less than 0.5 percent of total votes cast.
Brownsberger, joined by a large crew of senators, closely monitored the recount underway at Boston City Hall on Wednesday. The Suffolk and Middlesex Senate district includes western neighborhoods of Boston, parts of Cambridge, and surrounding communities of Belmont and Watertown.
Unofficial Boston counts had shown Lander with 5,135 votes to Brownsberger’s 3,373. After the recount, Lander had 5,131 votes to Brownsberger’s 3,369, according to the Boston Election Department. City election officials did more work Thursday, after the Lander campaign requested an additional review of absentee and vote-by-mail ballot materials.
In Belmont, Brownsberger’s hometown, certified counts initially showed the incumbent senator at 4,010 votes compared to Lander’s 1,809.
Altogether, Brownsberger picked up one vote in the recount from the most recent unofficial tally, ending with 35 votes more than his challenger.
Brownsberger’s election night watch party at Donohue’s Bar and Grill in Watertown captured the drama of the race. He told supporters at one point, “Not looking too good tonight,” according to the Harvard Crimson. About an hour later as the results turned in his favor, Brownsberger declared, “We’re actually up by a [expletive] thousand right now.”
In a statement about the recount results, Lander congratulated Brownsberger and said his own campaign showed “this district is hungry for change.”
“While this race did not end as we’d hoped, I am so deeply proud of the campaign we built. I know we have woken up the State Senate and sent a message loud and clear that the days of delay and inaction must end now,” Lander said.
He promised to continue to be “shoulder to shoulder” with those fighting the Beacon Hill establishment “every single day over the next two years.”
“To hold our State Senate accountable, and to fight to build a more just Massachusetts: where everyone can afford a home in the communities they love; where no immigrant is afraid to walk down our streets; and where families can thrive,” he said. “This race has already shaken up the broken status quo. From Beacon Hill and beyond, we have put our State Senate on notice.”
The statement concludes, “Our work is not finished. We will fight on for the Massachusetts we deserve, because big dreams will never die.”
Senate President Karen Spilka released a statement on both the specific Suffolk and Middlesex District race, and the primary cycle more broadly.
She congratulated those who won election, and said she wanted “to particularly congratulate Senators Will Brownsberger and Nick Collins on their victories. Will and Nick are deeply respected members of the Senate who have earned the trust of their colleagues through years of hard work, principled leadership and a commitment to the people they represent. I’m proud to call them colleagues and friends, and I’m grateful that they will continue bringing their experience, independence and leadership to the Senate.”
Spilka also congratulated Persis Yu, the one successful challenger who ousted a sitting senator during the primary, as well as two candidates who won open seats, Reps. Erika Uyterhoeven and Kate Lipper-Garabedian.
She thanked Sen. Mike Rush, whom Yu ousted in her primary campaign waged from the left.
“I want to thank my friend and colleague Senator Mike Rush for his many years of dedicated service to the Senate, to the people of his district, and our country. Mike has been a tireless advocate for veterans, working families and his communities, and an invaluable member of our leadership team. I am deeply grateful for his friendship, his service and everything he has contributed to this institution,” Spilka said.
Her final message was for the Legislature to now move on from the primaries.
“There was a great deal of time, money and political energy spent this year trying to remake the Senate,” Spilka said. “Voters had their say. I’m proud of the members of this Senate, and I think the results speak for themselves. Now it’s time to put the primary campaign politics behind us.”
Courtesy of Commonwealth Beacon
