Gloucester Democrat Eileen Duff officially emerged Wednesday as one of the Election 2012 winners when final returns confirmed she had nailed her 5th District seat on the Governor’s Council.
Duff secured the seat with a 50,713 vote lead over Haverhill Republican Maura Ciardiello. She won with 203,496 votes to Ciardiello’s 152,783 votes, or by roughly 57 percent of the vote to 43 percent. Election night reports had indicated a much closer race.
Duff carried her hometown and the rest of Cape Ann, winning Gloucester with 10,063 votes to Ciardiello’s 3,692, Rockport with 3,097 to Ciardiello’s 1,048, Essex with 1,179 votes to Ciardiello’s 681, and Manchester with 1,782 to Ciardiello’s 1,239.
“Gloucester really came out for me, Cape Ann really came out for me,” Duff said.
Ciardiello took just 10 of the 38 towns in the 5th District. She carried her hometown of Haverhill, along with Andover, Dracut, Methuen Rowley, Tewksbury, Topsfield, Wenham, West Newbury and Wilmington.
Duff said she’s heading onto the council with an open mind. She said she plans to use the seat as a way to bring district concerns right to the governor.
“If the representatives on Cape Ann and any other communities that I represent have concerns and need another voice,” Duff said Wednesday, “I’m ready to be that.”
Steven Fletcher may be contacted at 1-978-283-7000 x3455, or sfletcher@gloucestertimes.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stevengdt.
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