With nearly 99% of the votes counted, James Arena-DeRosa edged out Connor Degan in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for the state representative seat for Middlesex’s 8th district.
DeRosa, of Holliston, got 3,101 votes, or 57.4% of those cast, according to preliminary results. Degan, who is the Town Clerk of Hopkinton, garnered 2,304 votes (42.6%)
Arena-DeRosa moves on to the general election in November, where he will face Republican candidate Loring Barnes de Millis, who was unopposed in her primary race.
How they voted:See the results of Middlesex’s 8th Democratic Primary
Arena-DeRosa, 66, is vying to represent a district that includes Holliston, Hopkinton, Sherborn and part of Millis. The previous incumbent, seven-term Rep. Carolyn Dykema, also from Holliston, resigned in the spring to take a job in the private sector, leaving the field open for a newcomer.
From the archives:Holliston State Rep. Carolyn Dykema leaves for a new job in the private sector
Arena-DeRosa has a multi-faceted background that includes roles as Northeast Regional Administrator for the USDA and President and CEO of the Connecticut nonprofit Foodshare, the Daily previously reported. News. He ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts in 2014.
Previously:Meet James Arena-DeRosa, a Democrat vying for Middlesex’s 8th seat
Ahead of the primary, he stressed the need to tackle PFAS — the so-called “chemicals forever” — locally and pushed a heavy platform on protecting various civil rights.
Degan, 30, has served as Hopkinton’s town clerk since 2016. In an interview with the Daily News last month, he focused on government transparency, gun control, mental health resources and the education support.
