Published in the March 2, 2020 edition.
WAKEFIELD — Tomorrow voters across the state head to the polls to participate in the party presidential primaries.
Every registered voter in Wakefield will have the chance to cast a ballot for their party preference for U.S. president from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Galvin Middle School. March 3 participants will be able to vote in either the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian and Green-Rainbow primary.
Voters in Precincts 4, 5 and 6 will also have a chance to pick a person to represent them on Beacon Hill. The 32nd Middlesex District seat in the state House of Representatives has been vacant since Paul Brodeur resigned after being elected mayor of Melrose. Melrose Republican Brendan Reid and Melrose Councilor at Large Kate Lipper-Garabedian, a Democrat, are running for the position.
Massachusetts joins 13 other states holding primaries as part of Super Tuesday. Voters living in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Vermont will also head to the polls along with those from the Bay State.
There are 19,107 Wakefield residents registered to vote tomorrow.
Town Clerk Betsy Sheeran said, “I’m hoping we’ll have a good turnout tomorrow. We had a good turnout for early voting, which ended Friday. There were 1,517 ballots cast. We will be ready to greet voters from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow in the Galvin Middle School gymnasium.”
There are 15 candidates appearing on the Democratic Party presidential ballot, but nine have already dropped their bids to be the party nominee. The candidates still in the running are Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The Democratic candidates who have dropped out but whose names will still be appearing on the ballot are former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, businessman Andrew Yang, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennett, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, former Maryland Congressman John Delaney, author Marianne Wilkinson, former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and businessman/activist Tom Steyer.
Two Democratic State Committeeman candidates appearing on the ballot — Ben Tafoya of Reading and Peter Mark Francis of Stoneham. The Democratic State Committeewoman candidate is Malden’s Kathleen Manning Hall.
Townspeople can also elect up to 35 candidates for the Democratic Town Committee or can choose to elect the entire group. The Democratic Town Committee candidates are Janet Schuchter, 68 Holland Rd.; Julie M. Bernardin, 8 Indian Ln.; Greg Liakos, 8 Grafton St.; Mike Delory, 272 Albion St.; Daniel Benjamin, 10 Foster St. #205; Mehreen N. Butt, 894 Main St. #10; Patricia Doren, 26 Karen Rd.; Kathleen Beaulieu, 10 Davey Ln.; Anne Marie Mitchell, 21 Lake St.; Christopher J. Callanan, 600 Salem St.; Jonathan Chines, 34 Hopkins St.; Elizabeth Lowry, 86 Green St.; Paula Thompson, 410 Salem St. #809; Caitriona M. Fitzgerald, 14 Emerald St.; Denise Corbett-Carbonneau, 8 Maple Way; Saritin E. Rizzuto, 122 Farm St.; Sharlene F. Ford, 20 West Water St.; Madeline R. Brown, 1068 Main St.; Michael Lueger, 4 Sidney St.; Jacquelynne Millinor, 12 Salem St.; Donald Ravenelle, 858 Main St. #3; Francis Lawton, 33 Holland Rd.; Jennifer R. Blackmon, 17 Aborn Ave.; Julie A. Smith-Galvin, 28 Grafton St.; Anthony Guardia, 27 Davey Ln.; Adam S. Pinkney, 18 Valley St.; Lisa A. Butler, 2 Curve St.; Mary Duggan, 23 Otis St.; Lois Jarema Benjamin, 10 Foster St.; John Breithaupt, 16 Fell St.; Thomas F. Markham III, 42 Harrison Ave.; James A. Horne, 1055 Main St.; Robert E. Vincent, 22 Flanders Ln.; Donna Murphy, 135 Prospect St.
While President Donald Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican Party nomination, three opponents in the Republican primary are challenging the controversial 45th president. The GOP candidates looking to prevent Trump from being nominated for a second term are former Massachusetts Governor and 2016 Libertarian Party vice president nominee Bill Weld, businessman Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente and former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh.
Walsh has dropped out of the race and De La Fuente is also running for the Republican nomination for California’s 21st congressional district.
The Republican State Committeeman candidate is Robert E. Aufiero of Melrose. The Republican State Committeewoman candidate is Stoneham’s Caroline Colarusso.
Similar to the Democratic primary, voters can elect up to 35 candidates for the Republican Town Committee or can choose to elect the entire group. The Republican Town Committee candidates are Scot Alan McCauley, 32 Walden Rd.; Albert J. Turco, 16 Indian Ln.; Robert W. McCarthy, 53 Outlook Rd.; Philip S. Grady, 4 Montclare Ave.; Joanne M. Turco, 16 Indian Ln.; Eugenia M. Coffin, 11 Gould St.; Marcy L. McCauley, 32 Walden Rd.; David A. Kelly, 48 Jordan Ave.; John S. Confalone, 9 Walden Rd.; Amy Wall, 23 Elm St.; Elizabeth M. Nassal, 19 Myrtle Ave.; Frank Margherita, 13 Summer St.; Theresa Grady, 4 Montclare Ave.; Jeanne McCorry, 34 Woodland Rd.; Robert McCorry Jr., 34 Woodland Rd.; Gerard Leeman Jr., 10 Fox Rd.; Daniel J. Blanchard, 14 Keeling Rd.; Anne T. Willett, 16 Louise Ave.; Alfred Willett, 16 Louise Ave.; Joseph Tringale, 33 Brook St.; John P. Lock, 4 Gregory Rd.; Peter Vitale, 3 Gladstone St.; Edward F. Dombroski Jr., 15 Chestnut St.; Philip A. Salois, 6 Aborn Ave.; Mary J. Salois, 6 Aborn Ave.
There are 10 candidates appearing on the Libertarian Party ballot. The candidates are former Libertarian National Committee vice chairman Arvin Vohra, performance artist Vermin Love Supreme, political scientist Jacob George Hornberger, software engineer Sam Robb, Los Angeles-born speaker Dan “Taxation is Theft” Behrman, political activist Kimberly Ruff, former military officer Kenneth Reed Armstrong, radio host Adam Kokesh, former Libertarian Party vice president nominee Jo Jorgenson and New Hampshire House of Representatives lawmaker Max Abramson.
Unlike the Democratic and Republican primaries, there are no Libertarian Party state committeeman, state committeewoman and town committee candidates appearing on the ballot.
There are four candidates running for the Green-Rainbow Party nomination for president. The candidates are attorney/rabbi Dario Hunter, activist Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza Curry, retired air quality inspector and emergency shelter manager Kent Mesplay and activist/Green Party co-founder Howard Hawkins.
There are no Green-Rainbow Party candidates for state committeeman, state committeewoman and town committee.
