Marjorie Decker Survives Democratic Primary Race; Evan MacKay ’19 Concedes After Recount

Updated September 12, 2024, at 7:14 p.m.

State Rep. Marjorie C. Decker won the 25th Middlesex Democratic primary after progressive challenger Evan C. MacKay ’19 conceded the race on Thursday, following a recount confirming Decker’s razor-thin margin of 41 votes.

The district’s recount came after a contentious race between Decker — who has been a fixture of Cambridge politics for 25 years and had never previously received less than 83 percent of the vote in a primary — and MacKay, the former president of Harvard’s graduate student union.

The result was a testament to how shaky Decker’s political standing had become over the course of a bruising campaign which saw MacKay cast her as a stand-in for longstanding issues of transparency and accountability in Massachusetts’ state legislature.

Even the near-total backing of the state’s Democratic establishment — including Governor Maura T. Healy ’92, U.S. Sen. Ed J. Markey (D-Mass.), and a majority of the Cambridge City Council — could not rescue her from coming within a millimeter of losing to a Harvard graduate student with no political experience to speak of.

“I want to extend sincere congratulations to Rep Decker for her re-election and continued public service for Cambridge,” MacKay said in a press release.

Early on election night, preliminary results showed MacKay in the lead, and they declared victory when 99 percent of the votes had been counted. But when the remaining votes were counted, MacKay’s 40-vote lead flipped to a 41-vote defecit.

Though the initial electoral results that announced Decker’s victory by a 41-vote lead were not close enough to result in a district-wide recount, MacKay was able to request recounts in individual wards.

The recounts took place for most of the day on Thursday at the Russell Youth Center.

Decker’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

MacKay said in the press release that they were “deeply moved by the ways that our community came together to advocate for issues that matter including housing, transportation, and climate justice.”

“I’m eternally grateful for our supporters and volunteers and residents in Cambridge for engaging in state politics and boldly fighting for our core values of social, racial, economic, and environmental justice,” MacKay added. “Although we came up short, the work continues.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

—Staff writer Benjamin Isaac can be reached at benjamin.isaac@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @benjaminisaac_1.

—Staff writer Avani B. Rai can be reached at avani.rai@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @avaniiiirai.