Farley-Bouvier Wins Democratic Nomination for Pittsfield's 3rd District
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Tricia Farley-Bouvier will move on to the general election to attempt to keep her seat in the state House of Representatives.
The two-term incumbent won her Democratic primary on Thursday by 382 votes against challenger Michael Bloomberg.
It was a contentious primary season as the two battled over Farley-Bouvier's legislative record and the younger Bloomberg's experience. The final tally was Farley-Bouvier with 2,687 votes, or 54 percent, to Bloomberg's 2,305.
But the two say they will put away their countercharges behind them to team up for the final stretch as Farley-Bouvier takes on Chris Connell, a city councilor running as an independent, for the 3rd Berkshire District that encompasses all but one precinct in Pittsfield.
Farley-Bouvier said Bloomberg had called her shortly after the polls closed to concede, and to throw his support behind her.
"Mike and I will be combining forces," she said. "He will be supporting the Democratic ticket. There's no doubt in my mind there will be a Democrat representing Pittsfield in the State House."
Bloomberg agreed, saying "I want to get everyone to the polls and there's a D next to my name for a reason."
This will be Farley-Bouvier's toughest election year since winning a special election for the seat in 2011. In both 2012 and 2014, she sailed to victory unopposed.
But she says she was confident going into Thursday's primary and feels the same about the general election.
"We have an excellent team here," she said at her busy campaign headquarters Thursday night. "They've all worked really, really hard. They are ready."
Still, Farley-Bouvier said she's not taking anything for granted, any more than she did the primary.
"It's really a very different race in November in that voter turnout makes a big difference and voter turnout will be completely different in November from a Thursday primary where we always knew voter turnout would be depressed," she said.
"When I'm on people's porches, when I see people on the street ... there's a lot of support behind me, people see the good work that I have done," Farley-Bouvier said. "That's what carries me through.
"I took [this election] very, very seriously. I will take this next race seriously. We will go after every single vote."
The Democrats will be coordinating across offices for the upcoming election, which will include a presidential selection.
Bloomberg, who recently returned to his native city, said "it was a really hard-fought race and I'm really proud of our team and the way they ran this thing. Come November we've got a lot of work to do as a party and the only way to get it done is to do it together."
Farley-Bouvier said the concerns of Pittsfield residents haven't changed much since she ran for City Council a dozen years ago.
"The issues have been very consistent: the economy is always a big issue, the opioid crisis is a big issue. People are concerned about their own household incomes, incomes are stagnant," she said. "I talk to people my age who have children graduating from college who would like to settle here."
Bloomberg said the election campaign had been a learning experience for him in talking with citizens, especially with young people starting businesses here who see potential in the city. Demographics are changing, people are coming together and "what was once a tired city is a little more awake and ready to move forward."
"We just wanted to run an honest and truthful campaign. We dealt with just the data, the facts, we talked about a vision for the city," he said. "One thing I'd really love to come out of this is there are young people who want to help the city ... that the next person, whether it be me or anybody else who wants to step into the ring, is doing so with a path that's a little more welcoming and understanding."
Farley-Bouvier says she and her team are ready to work with other Democrats to get out the vote for November.
"I made the choice to be a Democrat because I hold on to those Democratic values ... and I' very proud to be a progressive Democrat and will continue to fight for the progressive legislative agenda."
Tags: Democratic Party, election 2016, Farley-Bouvier, primary,
