Trump wins second presidential term, as Central Mass. YWCA, NAACP react
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President Donald Trump on the campaign trail in 2016
Former president Donald Trump completed his comeback Tuesday, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris and winning a second term that will start in January with Republicans in control of the House and Senate, where Massachusetts voters returned an all-Democrat delegation.
Trump seized victory by outpolling Harris in the critical swing states and celebrated his win at a post-election gathering in Florida.
The former president's election "signals a mandate for change," the Massachusetts Republican Party said, at "a time when Americans are largely united in their belief that the country is on the wrong track."
"In Massachusetts, we’ve felt the failures of the Biden-Harris Administration profoundly," MassGOP Chairwoman Amy Carnevale said. "Our Commonwealth faces an unprecedented migrant crisis that will cost the Commonwealth billions, and inflation has combined with our state’s poor fiscal policies to push more residents out than we attract."
Clean energy proponents, including many in Massachusetts, have bristled at the potential impact of a second Trump presidency because of his support for fossil fuels.
Nathaniel Stinnett, executive director the Environmental Voter Project, said his election "should be a wake-up call," adding "the climate movement urgently needs more political power because the climate crisis is moving infinitely faster than our politics right now."
With about 91 percent of ballots counted as of 9 a.m. Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that about 1.95 million Bay Staters (61.8 percent) had voted for Harris while almost 1.14 million people (36 percent) filled in the bubble next to Trump's name. The AP results showed Trump having won or leading the counting in roughly 77 of the state's 351 municipalities as of Wednesday morning.
Though final results could take several days before being finalized, Harris appears on track to fall short of the 2.38 million votes Joe Biden got in Massachusetts in 2020 while Trump is on track to surpass his 2020 total tally of nearly 1.17 million Massachusetts votes.
Debbie Hall, CEO of YWCA Central Massachusetts, reiterated the organization’s support of women in a Wednesday email to supporters, as a New York jury found Trump liable for the 1996 sexual assault of advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in May 2023.
“With the re-election of Donald Trump, we may feel various emotions about the road ahead. Remember, however, that no single leader defines our mission or the progress we work toward daily,” Hall wrote. “Let us take this moment to reflect on the significance of our shared work in advancing equity and inclusion. We will continue to drive change and create a stronger, more inclusive community. Let us support one another in this critical time and reaffirm our dedication to our mission.”
Fred Taylor, president of the Worcester Branch of the NAACP, also shared his thoughts on Trump’s reelection in a Wednesday press release.
“This election has ignited a wave of anxiety within the Black community, as it may threaten to reverse decades of hard-fought civil rights progress,” Taylor wrote. “The looming possibility of qualified immunity for police officers is especially unsettling, raising concerns about accountability and justice. Residents are left grappling with uncertainty, wondering how these political shifts will impact the advancements made in Worcester. In response to these challenges, the Worcester Branch of the NAACP remains steadfast in its commitment to advocating for a civilian review board, as well as promoting greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in city departments and leadership.”
Much of Trump's support here came from Southeastern Mass., Hampden County and the semicircle of towns to the south and west of Worcester. The town that leaned most heavily in Trump's favor was Acushnet, where about 72 percent of the more than 8,000 voters there supported the Republican.
Between his 2020 defeat and this year's national victory, Trump appears to have improved his standing with voters in practically every Massachusetts city and town.
In Boston alone, the Republican went from 15.38 percent support in the 2020 contest to 20.4 percent support in 2024, according to the AP. His vote share also increased this year in the four next most populated municipalities: Worcester (from 29.4 percent in 2020 to 34.8 percent this year), Springfield (from 24.93 percent four years ago to 32.2 percent in 2024), Cambridge (from 6.39 percent in 2020 to 8.6 percent in 2024), and Lowell (from 31.67 percent in 2020 to 37.2 percent in 2024).
Trump also appears to have flipped nearly two dozen Massachusetts towns he lost in 2020, including a cluster around Worcester (Sutton, Uxbridge, Webster, Millbury, Northbridge, West Brookfield, Rutland, Barre and Hardwick), a pair of towns in northern Worcester County (Athol and Orange), a grouping of South Shore towns (Hanover, Pembroke, Rockland, Whitman, Bridgewater and Raynham), and a few on the South Coast (Westport and Somerset). North of Boston, Trump flipped Saugus, Lynnfield and Salisbury into his column from four years ago.
Harris performed best in Suffolk and Middlesex counties, racking up 76.9 percent of the votes cast in Boston, 87.6 percent from Cambridge, and 84.4 percent in Somerville. Cape Cod also went for the Democrat, with support ranging from as much as 91.4 percent in Provincetown to a more narrow 51.9 percent support in Bourne. The college towns of Hampshire County and rural towns of Franklin County also voted overwhelmingly for the vice president, with Harris taking 87.9 percent of the vote in Amherst and 85.2 percent in Northampton.
WBJ Staff Writer Eric Casey contributed to this report.
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