CAMPAIGN 2020

Bucci wins Democratic mayoral primary, will face Hopkins in November

Potter tops Millea in District 16 race; Marino, Warner, Zelazo top Democratic citywide City Council field

By DANIEL KITTREDGE
Posted 9/10/20

Bucci versus Hopkins. That’s the choice Cranston voters will face in November as the city elects a new mayor for the first time since 2008.

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CAMPAIGN 2020

Bucci wins Democratic mayoral primary, will face Hopkins in November

Potter tops Millea in District 16 race; Marino, Warner, Zelazo top Democratic citywide City Council field

Posted

Bucci versus Hopkins.

That’s the choice Cranston voters will face in November as the city elects a new mayor for the first time since 2008.

In the Democratic mayoral primary, former Ward 4 councilwoman Maria Bucci maintained her lead over Citywide Councilman Steve Stycos after the Board of Elections added mail ballot counts to its day-of and emergency voting tallies late Thursday afternoon.

Based on the still unofficial figures, Bucci won roughly 49.4 percent of the vote (3,807) to Stycos’s 47.3 percent (3,644). Adam Carbone, a comedian who also ran in the Democratic contest, received 3.3 percent of the vote (253).

“I am so excited by these results,” Bucci said in a Thursday statement claiming victory. “Cranston voters are ready for the change that I will bring to City Hall. My campaign is all about bringing people together, building strong teams and making government open and accessible to everyone. Together, we will succeed.”

Reached Thursday evening, Stycos said he is conceding the race and will not seek a recount.

“I want to thank my volunteers, people who’ve made contributions, and the people who voted for me,” he said.

Asked if he was ready to make an endorsement in the race, he said not yet: “I’ve got to take some time off.”

Bucci led in the initial tallies on election night, receiving 1,849 of the in-person votes cast on Tuesday. Stycos received 1,758 of those votes, and Carbone won 154.

Stycos gained slightly when emergency ballot totals were added Wednesday, winning 292 of those votes to Bucci’s 283 and Carbone’s 17.

Stycos also narrowly topped Bucci in the mail balloting, 1,758-1,675, but that proved too slim of a margin to make up the needed ground. Carbone received 82 votes in the mail balloting.

On the Republican side, Citywide Councilman Ken Hopkins had already clinched his party’s nomination based on the results of in-person voting Tuesday night. His margin over City Council President Michael Farina remained at roughly 3-1 with the addition of mail ballots to the count, which stood at  3,517 (76.5 percent) to  1,081 (23.5 percent) as of Thursday afternoon.

Hopkins declared victory during his election night gathering at the St. Mary’s Feast Society building, while Farina conceded that night. On Thursday, Farina posted a statement on social media thanking his supporters.

“I am going to focus on my family and grow my career in the private sector,” he wrote. “I love the City of Cranston with all my heart and want to thank you, the Cranston Residents, for allowing me to serve you. It has been my honor.”

The Democratic and Republican mayoral primaries differed significantly in tone over the last several months. The race between Hopkins and Farina was frequently contentious and garnered more media attention early on, while the contest between Bucci and Stycos lacked public sparring and drew fewer headlines.

Bucci’s victory statement, however, points out a development that is likely to give Democrats cause for optimism heading into November. Based on the tallies from the Board of Elections, 7,704 Cranston voters cast ballots in the Democratic mayoral primary – significantly more than the 4,598 who voted in the GOP race.

The mail ballot results appear to have settled a number of other contests as well.

In the four-way Democratic citywide City Council primary, Jessica Marino, Larry Warner and Dylan Zelazo have won spots on the November ballot. Paul Archetto, a former Ward 3 councilman and current School Committee member, placed fourth.

Marino received 5,123 votes, or 30.6 percent of those cast, followed by Warner (3,966 votes, 23.7 percent), Zelazo (3,937 votes, 23.5 percent) and Archetto (3,728 votes, 22.3 percent). The top three finishers will face a GOP citywide slate that includes Robert Ferri, Nicole Renzulli and Don Roach.

Warner on Thursday issued a statement saying he is “humbled by the outpouring of support, and the vote of confidence from Cranston residents.”

Elsewhere in Thursday’s updated numbers, Brandon Potter, a member of the progressive Rhode Island Political Cooperative, defeated incumbent House District 16 Rep. Christopher Millea to win the Democratic nomination.

Potter is among a number of progressive challengers to unseat incumbents in General Assembly primaries this year. He will face Republican Maryann Lancia, the wife of former District 16 representative and Republican congressional candidate Robert Lancia.

Potter won all three of the voting categories – in-person, emergency and mail – for a total of 1,002 votes, or just less than 60 percent of those cast. Millea, who is in his first term in the Assembly, received 672 votes.

In other Assembly races, House Dist. 19 Rep. Joseph McNamara defeated his Democratic primary challenger, Stuart Wilson. McNamara faces a challenge from independent Patrick Maloney Jr. as he seeks reelection.

In House District 41, Pamela Carosi topped Guiseppe Mattiello to win the Democratic nomination. She will face Republican Rep. Robert Quattrocchi in November.

The updated results can be found here.

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