HUB COPS CALLED ON
Huge margin puts pressure on Tito
Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s overwhelming victory in yesterday’s preliminary election — outpacing nearest challenger Tito Jackson by a 2-1 margin — could make it nearly impossible for Jackson to make up ground between now and Nov. 7.
Walsh pulled in 62 percent of the vote to Jackson’s 29 percent, according to unofficial results from the election department, with longshot candidates Robert Cappucci, a former School Committee member, getting 7 percent and insurance worker Joseph Wiley just 1 percent.
The city results show Walsh beating Jackson in Jackson’s own District 7 in Roxbury by 3,105 to 2,959 votes. The Walsh campaign reported that the incumbent mayor won 66 out of 97 precincts with a majority-minority population, and 83 percent of the city’s 255 precincts overall. Walsh said he “felt really good” about his high numbers, which spell trouble for Jackson.
“I don’t know how you play it out,” former City Councilor Larry DiCara said of Jackson’s campaign. “It is very difficult. Marty’s road the last time was to pick up support of people very different than he was but if he has that kind of numbers, you have to get people to show up to vote.”
The Jackson campaign had no immediate comment.
In 2013, a dozen mayoral candidates — including Walsh — faced off in a preliminary election that drew more than 142,000 voters. But only 56,373, or 14 percent of eligible voters, came to the polls yesterday — a number also well below the 81,766 or 23 percent of voters who turned out in the previous mayoral preliminary in 2009.
When asked if he could claim large support with only 14 percent turnout, Walsh said, “You’d have to look at other races in the past — I don’t know if that’s an accurate question. My big frustration is we don’t have 90 or 95 percent participation in all elections.”
UMass political science professor Erin O’Brien, voicing surprise, said, “Menino was inevitable and people turned out. Even if people feel that Marty is inevitable, the turnout is surprising. There just seems to be a real disinterest in this race.”
Walsh said he’ll keep campaigning in every neighborhood up until the Nov. 7 general election.
“There are a lot of good stories out there to tell and we’re going to tell them over the next six weeks,” he said.