GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Leigh Davis will represent the Third Berkshire District on Beacon Hill. 

 

With a handful of precincts not yet reporting, she was leading opponent Marybeth Mitts by 12,603 votes to 9,480, winning 55.5 percent of the vote at as the clock struck midnight.

 

"This is such a special, historic moment nationally and obviously locally," Davis said, thanking her supporters at the Barrington Brewery earlier on Tuesday night. 

 

"…we are going to be loud and we're going to be proud. And we're going to go to Beacon Hill as a unified 18-town district. So, I'm here to work for you."

 

Davis said she's passionately committed to address several issues including the need for affordable housing and economic development. 

 

"We're gonna look after our seniors, our veterans, and we're going to make sure that this environment is protected and it's something that is sustainable," she said. 

 

Davis came out on top of the three-way Democratic primary in September, winning 56 percent of the vote in the race to replace longtime state Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli. The Select Board member racked up a host of endorsements from party luminaries and local unions coming into the general election.

 

Vote counting in the sprawling South Berkshire district went well into the night, with a few holdouts at the respective parties waiting for numbers to come in from Lenox, Mitt's home base where she is also Select Board member.

 

In unofficial results, Mitts won her hometown by 276 votes, 1,638 to 1,362, and Otis and Mount Washington.

 

The district consists of the Southern Berkshire communities of Alford, Becket, Dalton, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, and West Stockbridge.

 

Alford, Monterey, Washington and Sandisfield had not reported but are too small to make a difference in the outcome. 

 

Davis' son, Sean Macken, drove out from Norwood and her daughter Sage Macken flew from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. for the election. An unexpected surprise was when her daughter Kayleigh Davis walked through the door on Saturday after being approved to leave from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado to support her mother.

 

Mitts' supporters gathered at the Olde Heritage Tavern in Lenox, listening to a soundtrack of ‘80s as the party dwindled down. Several visits were made to Lenox Town Hall to find out what the problem was in tallying votes. When the numbers came in, Mitts conceded. 

"While the results didn't go our way, I want to start by congratulating my opponent, Leigh Davis, on a hard-fought campaign," she said. "I know she hears deeply about this community, and I wish her all the best as she steps into this important role."

 

She thanked her "incredible team" and her family for standing by her. 

 

"Thank you so much for your tireless efforts, your time, your unwavering belief in this campaign. I could not have asked for a better group of people by my side," Mitts said. "We may not have won, but we made our voices heard, and I'm so proud of what we accomplished together."

 

Davis felt her ability to run a campaign for eight months while working full-time and raising three children tied into the issues of concern with voters like affordable housing, child care and economic development. 

 

"These are real issues that I identify with, and I've gone through on a daily basis, and I think that resonated with voters. I think that they saw that I was a hard worker," she said.

 

She had earlier thanked the "Leigh Team" for their efforts in supporting her campaign. 

 

"I'm gonna hit the ground running, and I'm feeling confident and excited for the future, and thank you so much for your belief in me and your support. And let's go forth and rock this district."